INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of a cross-cutting thematic approach to improving the lives of women and girls in Afghanistan.

Justine Greening: We must ensure that girls and women in Afghanistan have a full role in society, in the economy and in politics. UK funding is already making a big difference in these areas—it has helped get over 2 million girls into school, and our £19.5 million Tawanmandi civil society programme (with additional funding from Norway, Sweden and Denmark) has to date provided over half its grants to Afghan women's organisations to help them hold the Afghan Government to account.
	The UK Government continue to help improve the lives of women and girls in Afghanistan through the UK National Action Plan on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325: Women, Peace and Security. Last month the UK Government published their second annual review of the plan which can be found at:
	www.fco.gov.uk/en/global-issues/women-peace-security/national-action-plan
	The section on Afghanistan is at pages 15 and 16.

Developing Countries: Primary Education

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress the Prime Minister has made in his role as co-chair of the UN High Level Panel on Development towards the Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education by 2015.

Alan Duncan: The Prime Minister hosted the first substantive UN High Level Panel (HLP) meeting in London on 1 November.
	The purpose of the High Level Panel is to agree recommendations for what should feature in a post 2015 development framework. While the panel's remit is to focus on the post 2015 development agenda, the Prime Minister has made it clear that achieving the Current Millennium Development Goals including universal primary education by 2015 should be a top priority.
	At the London HLP meetings there was an emerging consensus that the new goals need to incentivise schools to provide high quality education for children in a post 2015 development framework.

Gambia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department has spent in combating child sex tourism in Gambia in each of the last seven years.

Lynne Featherstone: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not directly funded programmes combating child sex tourism. However, the UK Government through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre does promote human rights issues and track offenders internationally.
	Promoting and protecting the rights of the child is one of the UK's human rights priorities. We condemn all forms of sexual exploitation of children. Our high commission in Banjul has recently supported Gambia's Child Protection Alliance in bringing together community and religious leaders, members of the tourist industry and police and government officials to raise awareness of child protection issues and to protect children in the Gambia from sexual abuse and exploitation.

Gambia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department has taken to promote human rights in Gambia.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK remains concerned about human rights in Gambia, particularly following the execution of nine prisoners on death row earlier this year. We have made our opposition to these executions—and the death penalty more generally—clear, both in London and in Banjul. We welcome the reintroduction of an effective moratorium on the death penalty but remain concerned at its non-binding nature. The UK also regularly raises concerns about freedom of expression and the protection of journalists. The sudden closures of Taranga FM Radio Station in August and, recently, of “The Daily News” and “The Standard” newspapers are worrying developments. At the September Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, the UK supported a resolution on the safety of journalists worldwide.
	Our high commissioner in Banjul regularly raises human rights issues with the Government of Gambia, both twice-yearly through formal European Union (EU) discussions and when specific incidents occur. Our human rights policy towards Gambia is guided by United Nations and EU guidelines. In 2011, the British high commission in Banjul, on behalf of the EU, formulated a local strategy based on the latter.
	Under the EU/ACP Cotonou agreement with Gambia, the provision of development aid is dependent on progress on human rights which is reviewed in depth twice a year. The amount of funding from the European development fund was reduced in 2010 by 20% due to poor governance and Gambia's human rights record. It is unlikely that Gambia will qualify for future budgetary funding until measurable achievements are seen.

India

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will raise with the Indian Government the issue of the rape of a 16 year old female and the merits of a reduction in the age of consent in order to reduce the number of such incidents.

Alan Duncan: While we do not take up individual cases with the Indian Government, our human rights and development dialogue emphasises the rights of women and girls. My officials are also monitoring legal developments of this case.

Indian Subcontinent

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much UK Aid has spent in (a) Pakistan, (b) India, (c) Pakistan occupied Kashmir, (d) Indian occupied Kashmir and (e) Chinese occupied Kashmir in each year from 2007 to date.

Alan Duncan: Information on the amount of UK bilateral aid provided to Pakistan and India over each of the past five years can be found in table 14.3:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-us/How-we-measure-progress/Aid-Statistics/Statistics-on-International-Development-2012/SID-2012-Tables-Index/
	UK aid to India and Pakistan supports national programmes that work in, and benefit, both Indian and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Mali

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many officials in her Department are currently stationed in Mali.

Lynne Featherstone: The Department for International Development has no staff based in Mali.

Mali

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid her Department has given to Mali in each of the last five years.

Lynne Featherstone: Information on the amount of UK aid provided to Mali over each of the past five years can be found in table 14.1 at
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-us/How-we-measure-progress/Aid-Statistics/Statistics-on-International-Development-2012/

Overseas Aid: Education

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of her departmental budget is spent on (a) primary, (b) secondary, (c) tertiary and (d) higher education delivered (i) outside and (ii) by services located in the UK.

Lynne Featherstone: In 2011-12, the Department for International Development's (DFID) spend on education through bilateral programmes totalled just over £610 million, which is 7.9% of total departmental programme budget. Of this, 4.2% supported delivery of education systems (for example teacher training, facilities and administrative management) across all phases of education, with priority given to primary and lower secondary phases in line with the millennium development goals. Of the remaining 3.7%, the proportions of departmental spend attributable by phase of education were as follows: (a) primary: 2.9%; (b) secondary: 0.4%; (c) tertiary: 0.2%; and (d) higher: 0.2%.
	In addition to this, DFID delivers support for education through global programmes such as the Global Partnership for Education, Girls Education Challenge, Commonwealth Scholarships and through multilateral partners.
	DFID's work is delivered in accordance with the International Development Act. We draw from the best suppliers worldwide to deliver value for money and results. Information about the location of service providers is not collected centrally.

Papua New Guinea

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding her Department has given to Papua New Guinea in each of the last five years.

Alan Duncan: DFID does not have a bilateral programme with Papua New Guinea. The UK does however provide assistance through our attributable contributions to multilateral development organisations and global programmes that benefit a number of countries. Information on the amount of UK aid provided to Papua New Guinea for each of the last five years can be found in table 14.5 of Statistics on International Development (SID):
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Documents/publications1/sid2012/Table14.5-Pacific.xls

Sickness Absence

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development for how many and what proportion of days, on average, staff of her Department at each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in each of the last five years.

Alan Duncan: Details of the total days lost to sickness absence in DFID by Home Civil Service (HCS) staff; and the average working days lost (AWDL) to sickness absence per HCS employee; for the 12 month periods 1 April to 31 March in each of the last five years, are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Period Total days lost to sickness absence Average working days lost to sickness absence per employee 
			 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008 10,052 5.2 
			 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009 9,903 5.3 
			 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 9,112 4.9 
			 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 9,937 5.3 
			 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 8,966 4.5

SCOTLAND

Sickness Absence

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland for how many and what proportion of days, on average, staff of his Department at each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in each of the last five years.

David Mundell: All Scotland Office staff are on secondment from other Government bodies, principally the Scottish Government and the Ministry of Justice which have their own absence management policies and record processes that apply to those of their staff working in this office. Since 2010, the Scotland Office has kept local records of sick absences. The following table shows the average number of days staff in each grade were absent through ill health since local records began in January 2010.
	
		
			 Days 
			  Senior Civil Servant Grade 6/7 Senior Executive Officer/Higher Executive Officer/Fast Stream Executive Officer Admin. 
			 January 2010 0.0 0.5 0.08 0.33 0.43 
			 February 2010 0.0 0.25 0.08 0.5 0.23 
			 March 2010 0.0 0.5 0.56 0.0 0.0 
			 April 2010 0.0 0.46 0.2 0.22 0.0 
			 May 2010 0.0 0.17 0.04 0.33 0.29 
			 June 2010 0.0 0.0 0.44 0.0 0.0 
			 July 2010 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.43 
			 August 2010 0.0 0.08 0.08 0.11 0.57 
			 September 2010 0.0 0.37 0.08 0.44 0.29 
			 October 2010 0.0 0.0 0.12 0.22 0.43 
			 November 2010 0.0 0.0 0.56 0.11 0.0 
			 December 2010 0.0 0.33 0.08 0.44 0.29 
			 January 2011 0.0 0.08 0.3 0.0 0.0 
			 February 2011 0.0 0.33 0.04 0.0 0.14 
			 March 2011 0.0 0.0 0.48 0.11 0.64 
			 April 2011 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.23 
			 May 2011 0.0 0.08 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 June 2011 0.25 0.42 0.24 0.22 ' 0.0 
			 July 2011 0.0 0.13 .0.04 0.0 0.14 
			 August 2011 0.5 0.67 0.0 0.11 0.71 
			 September 2011 0.0 0.0 0.08 0.11 0.0 
			 October 2011 0.0 0.0 0.12 0.0 0.42 
			 November 2011 0.0 0.17 0.2 1.1 0.14 
			 December 2011 0.0 0.33 0.12 0.55 0.0 
			 January 2012 0.5 0.08 0.0 0.0 0.57 
			 February 2012 0.5 0.33 0.0 0.22 0.43 
			 March 2012 0.17 0.0 0.0 1.2 0.14 
			 April 2012 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.29 
			 May 2012 0.0 0.0 0.08 0.0 0.0 
			 June 2012 0.5 0.21 0.2 0.0 0.0 
			 July 2012 0.0 0.33 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 August 2012 0.0 0.17 0.04 0.44 0.0 
			 September 2012 0.0 0.25 0.16 0.0 0.28

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 
	(1)  how many written parliamentary questions to his Department received a substantive answer (a) within five working days, (b) between six and 10 working days and (c) after more than 10 working days in the last 12 months for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of written parliamentary questions to his Department received holding responses in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

David Mundell: For the period 1 November 2011 to 31 October 2012, the Scotland Office received 223 ordinary written parliamentary questions. All of these were answered substantively, and are broken down as follows:
	(a) 217
	(b) five
	(c) one
	For the same period, my Department received and answered 84 Named Day parliamentary questions, of which eight (10%) received a holding reply.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the current session. Statistics relating to performance for the 2010-12 parliamentary session are available on the Parliament website as follows:
	http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/procedure/P35_ Memorandum_Leader_of_the_House_Monitoring _PQs.pdf

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Police Custody: Death

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Attorney-General how many criminal prosecutions took place related to the death of a person in the custody of the police in each calendar year (a) from 2001 to 2011 and (b) in 2012 to date.

Oliver Heald: In 2012 to date, two prosecutions have been completed by the CPS, each relating to one person. A further case, relating to two persons, is currently ongoing.
	Records kept by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for the period 2001 to 2011 are not comprehensive. However, the records available show that two people were prosecuted in 2001; three persons were prosecuted in 2003; 12 persons were prosecuted in 2005; six persons were prosecuted in 2006; the office of Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis was prosecuted in 2007; and one person was prosecuted in 2008.

Prisoners: Death

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Attorney General how many criminal prosecutions have arisen relating to the death of a person in the custody of the Prison Service in each calendar year (a) from 2001 to 2011 and (b) in 2012 to date.

Oliver Heald: Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) records kept for the period 2001 to 2011 are not comprehensive. However, they do show that in 2007 one prosecution took place involving four persons. To date, two persons have been prosecuted by the CPS in 2012.

HEALTH

Cystic Fibrosis: Drugs

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure that ivacaftor is available to patients with the G551D mutation of cystic fibrosis in every GP commissioning area.

Anna Soubry: The decision on whether or not to fund this new treatment is a matter for the four Specialised Commissioning Groups (SCGs).
	To support their decision making process the SCGs have commissioned a Health Technology Assessment of ivacaftor to help evaluate its clinical and cost effectiveness, with the aim of providing consistent national advice on its use for patients with cystic fibrosis.

Diabetes

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many cases of diabetic retinopathy have been identified in each year since 2000;
	(2)  what guidelines his Department has given to the NHS commissioning board on diabetic retinopathy.

Anna Soubry: Data on the number of people identified with diabetic retinopathy is not held centrally. However, data on the number of patients with diabetes who. are offered and receive screening for the early detection of diabetic retinopathy is available on the Department's website at:
	http://transparency.dh.gov.uk/?p=20253
	From 1 April 2013 the National Health Service Commissioning Board will be responsible for commissioning all national screening programmes, including diabetic retinopathy, to UK National Screening Committee approved standards. Commissioning arrangements will be subject to agreements made between the Secretary of State for Health and the National Health Service Commissioning Board under section 7A of the National Health Service Act 2006 as amended by the Health and Social Care Act 2012. The 2013-14 agreement will be published shortly. The screening programme will be supported by funding from the public health ring-fence and by a detailed service specification.

Drugs: Babies

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many mothers gave birth to (a) one, (b) two and (c) three or more babies showing neo-natal withdrawal symptoms attributable to maternal use of illicit or therapeutic drugs in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what steps he has taken to reduce the number of babies born with neo-natal withdrawal symptoms attributable to maternal use of illicit or therapeutic drugs; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Standards for Maternity Care (published in 2008) states that all women who have a significant drug and/or alcohol problem should receive their care from a specialist multi-agency team, which will include a specialist midwife and/or obstetrician involving social workers and health visitors.
	Data on the number of mothers giving birth to babies showing neonatal withdrawal symptoms are not available, as it is not possible to link birth records with delivery records. We are therefore unable to say whether a mother has had more than one delivery where the baby has neonatal withdrawal symptoms. However, data on the number of babies born with neonatal withdrawal symptoms from the Health and Social Care Information Centre, are provided in the following table.
	
		
			 Count of finished admission birth episodes (FAEs) with a primary or secondary diagnosis of neonatal withdrawal symptoms from maternal use of drugs for the period 2006-07 to 2010-11 
			  Birth FAEs 
			 2010-11 1,033 
			 2009-10 1,150 
			 2008-09 1,062 
			 2007-08 1,105 
			 2006-07 1,074 
			 Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Health and Social Care Information Centre 
		
	
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence issued guidance for medical and health care professionals on "Pregnancy and complex social factors" in September 2010. This guidance seeks to identify the service organisation and delivery that would best encourage access, contact and use of services by substance misusing women, describing what additional consultation and support is needed.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse's statistical report for 2011-12, 
	(1)  how many of the 29,855 people who successfully completed substance abuse treatment were free from dependence on the presenting drug but were using other drugs;
	(2)  how many of the 29,855 people who successfully completed substance abuse treatment left treatment free from dependence on all addictive drugs, including legal drugs such as alcohol, methadone and z-drugs such as benzodiazepine.

Anna Soubry: By recording a client as successfully completing drug treatment a clinician has determined that the individual, is free from dependency on any drug, no longer requires substitute prescribing or other structured drug treatment and no longer uses any heroin or crack cocaine. The National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse advises local drug partnerships that people should not be coded as successfully completing drug misuse treatment if they are dependent on alcohol.
	21,810 people who were recorded as successfully completing treatment for drug dependence in 2011-12 were judged to be using no illegal drug at all. 8,045 people who were recorded as successfully completing treatment for drug dependence in 2011-12 were identified as non-dependent users of drugs such as cannabis.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how drug treatment leavers are independently tracked and validated in order to ensure that they remain free from dependency.

Anna Soubry: The report “Drug Treatment 2012” published by the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse in October analysed the unique identifiers of individual records on the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System to check if people come back into treatment after they leave. This found that of the 366,217 unique individuals who received treatment between 2005 and 2012, 104,879 completed treatment and did not return.
	In their report published in July, the Recovery Orientated Drug Treatment Expert Group encouraged local treatment systems to provide recovery check-ups such as regular phone calls to people who have left treatment in order to help detect relapse, reduce the time to get back into treatment and improve long-term outcomes.

Throat Problems

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to promote early diagnosis of throat problems.

Anna Soubry: Clinical guidance on the early diagnosis and management of people presenting with symptoms relating to the throat or upper respiratory tract is available from a number of sources, including a guideline from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on the management of upper respiratory tract infection and "Professional Plus" articles from the website:
	www.Patient.co.uk
	which is often consulted by general practitioners. These guidelines emphasise the need for accurate differential diagnosis before deciding on treatment, in particular the need to exclude rare but potentially serious conditions such as throat cancer or acute inflammation of the epiglottis.

Throat Problems

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people under the age of 25 have been admitted to hospital for throat problems since 2010.

Anna Soubry: Information on admissions to hospital, analysed according to the disease categories of the International Classification of Disease, is available for the financial years 2010-11 and 2011-12 from the NHS Information Centre at their website:
	www.hesonline.nhs.uk/Ease/servlet/ContentServer?siteID=1937&categoryID=192
	We are advised that the description "throat problems" is not specific enough to identity the particular conditions to which the question might refer.

HIV Infection

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS have access to anti-retroviral drugs;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to reduce the cost of anti-retroviral drugs in the UK.

Anna Soubry: All people diagnosed with HIV in the United Kingdom are offered appropriate anti-retroviral drugs (ARV) through the national health service when clinically needed. Prescriptions for ARVs are exempt from the prescription charges.
	Measures to help the NHS to spend money efficiently on prescription medicines, including ARVs, while delivering good quality patient care include:
	The Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention medicines use and procurement work stream, which supports prescribers in reviewing and changing their practice, to ensure they are prescribing the most cost-effective, clinically appropriate drugs available in a treatment category.
	The Department's Commercial Medicines Unit competitively tenders all ARVs on behalf of the NHS secondary care providers in England. Generic products (the minority of products) are tendered nationally, whereas patent-protected products are tendered at a regional level which allows for aggregation of spend appropriately to achieve value for money, reduce replication and assure a quality supply chain to the patient.

HIV Infection

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to promote the research and development of more effective and cheaper anti-retroviral drugs.

Lynne Featherstone: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for International Development.
	The Department for International Development does not directly support the development of anti-retroviral drugs, but has supported two clinical trials (one for adults and one for children) investigating ways to reduce the cost of delivering existing anti-retroviral drugs, using fewer laboratory tests and allowing the savings made to be used to provide drugs to additional patients. Results of the trial in adults, published in 2009, showed that by reducing unnecessary laboratory tests up to one third more patients can be effectively treated for the same amount of money. The trial in children has recently been completed and the results will be published shortly. The researchers working on the trial for children are also working with a pharmaceutical company to develop new drug options for children.

HIV Infection

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of early detection for HIV/AIDS in the UK.

Anna Soubry: The Department funds the Terrence Higgins Trust and their partner organisations for a national programme of targeted HIV prevention which highlights the importance of regular testing and early diagnosis of HIV. The Department has also funded the Medical Foundation for AIDS and Sexual Health for information resources to support all health care professionals in primary and secondary care services in the early detection of HIV by offering an HIV test.
	The Department's new Sexual Health Policy Document, planned for later this year, will highlight the importance of early diagnosis and detection of HIV.
	The Public Health Outcomes Framework, published in January 2012, includes an outcome indicator to reduce the proportion of people presenting with HIV at a late stage of infection.

HIV Infection: Brighton and Hove

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in (a) Brighton and Hove and (b) Brighton, Kemptown constituency in each of the last three years.

Anna Soubry: Information relating to constituency boundaries is not collected. The numbers of individuals newly diagnosed with HIV in Brighton and Hove local authority (which includes Brighton, Kemptown constituency) are set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Year of HIV diagnosis 2009 2010 2011 
			 Number of new HIV diagnoses 119 135 127 
			 Notes: 1. Diagnoses are from reports received to end June 2012. Numbers will rise as further reports are received. 2. Geography reflects the location of the reporting clinic (or laboratory where clinic is not known) where diagnosis was made, rather than residence of the individual. 3. Patients may live with HIV for many years before they are diagnosed. Therefore new diagnosis data do not necessarily reflect recently acquired infections. 
		
	
	The Health Protection Agency publishes annual data on new HIV diagnoses. A copy of ‘United Kingdom New HIV Diagnoses to End June 2012’ has been placed in the Library.
	The numbers of diagnosed HIV-infected individuals (all ages) living in Brighton and Hove local authority (which includes Brighton, Kemptown constituency) by year, 2009-11, are:
	
		
			 Year of seen for care 2009 2010 2011 
			 Number of individuals 1,383 1,444 1,528 
			 Notes: 1. These data are from SOPHID (Survey of Prevalent HIV Infections Diagnosed) which monitors the number of HIV diagnosed individuals seen for HIV care in the UK. 2. Individuals living in Brighton and Hove local authority may be seen for HIV care in other areas. Between 2009 and 2011, of 4,355 individuals living in Brighton and Hove local authority, 3,823 (88%) were also seen for HIV care in Brighton and Hove local authority. 3. Primary care trust and local authority data exclude people who are living with an undiagnosed HIV infection and people diagnosed but not accessing HIV-related care. 
		
	
	The Health Protection Agency publishes various data on people living with HIV.

Low Birthweight

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what international comparisons he has made of the proportion of children born with a low birthweight in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: The Office for National Statistics recently published “Measuring National Well-being—Children's Well-being”, 2012 which includes information on the percentage of children born with a low birth weight for selected Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries in 2011. We are also aware that the World Health Organisation has published data on the ‘European health for all' database at:
	http://data.euro.who.int/hfadb/
	which includes data on the percentage of live births with low birth weight for European countries over the period 2006-10.

NHS: Drugs

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of unused medication in each financial year since 2005;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the amount of unnecessary medication distributed by the NHS each year;
	(3)  when he plans to publish the findings of the Steering Group to Improve the Use of Medicines.

Norman Lamb: Information is not held centrally on the annual cost or amount of unused or unnecessary medicines in the national health service. The Department commissioned the York Health Economics Consortium and the School of Pharmacy at the university of London to carry out research to determine the scale, causes and costs of waste medicines in England. The report, “Evaluation of the Scale, Causes and Costs of Waste Medicines”, was published on 23 November 2010. This found that the gross cost of unused prescription medicines in primary and community care in the NHS in England in 2009 was £300 million a year and that up to £150 million of this was avoidable.
	The report and action plan of the Steering Group to Improve the Use of Medicines is expected to be published shortly.

NHS: Redundancy

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the public purse of NHS staff redundancies in the north-west has been since 2010.

Daniel Poulter: Information on redundancy costs is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table:
	
		
			 Compulsory redundancies and other departures within the North West Strategic Health Authority (SHA) economy for the financial years 2010-11 and 2011-12 
			 £000 
			 Category 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Compulsory redundancies 11,930 10,961 
			 Other departures 17,794 23,160 
			 Notes: 1. “Other departures” include early retirements (except those due to ill health), voluntary redundancies, mutually agreed resignation scheme, pay in lieu of notice etc. 2. Voluntary redundancies are not separately identifiable from other departures; therefore, an overall figure for redundancies is not available. 
		
	
	The figures reported in the accounts are for a full financial year (i.e. between 1 April and 31 March). As such, we are unable to provide a breakdown of the cost associated with exit packages solely since May 2010.
	The data are taken from the audited summarisation schedules of national health service organisations within the North West SHA economy, which are used to prepare the NHS elements of the Department's Annual Report and Accounts. The figures reported represent the total resource cost of compulsory redundancies and other departures for staff leaving their organisation during the year. The expense associated with these departures may have been recognised in part or in full in a previous period.
	The Department does not collect data from NHS foundation trusts. Where an NHS trust obtains foundation trust status part way through any year, the data provided are only for the part of the year the organisation operated as an NHS trust.

Phenytoin

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the additional cost to the NHS of the repricing of the epanutin form of phenytoin consequent upon its distribution being transferred from Pfizer to Flynn Pharma; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what representations he has received on the decision by Pfizer to transfer the marketing and distribution of the epanutin form of phenytoin to Flynn Pharma; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: The Department has estimated the additional cost to the national health service, from the repricing of the Epanutin form of phenytoin, to be around £44 million per annum.
	We have received a number of representations from hon. Members and colleagues in the NHS about the recent increase in the price of phenytoin capsules, following the acquisition of the marketing authorisation by Flynn Pharma Ltd from Pfizer and the effects on NHS budgets.

Press: Subscriptions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which magazine, journal and newspaper subscriptions held by his Department have been cancelled since May 2010.

Daniel Poulter: The following list shows magazine, journal and newspaper titles where annual subscriptions for at least one print copy have been cancelled or allowed to lapse since May 2010 (an estimated cost saving of £119,842.) The list includes titles cancelled this year where the current subscription has not yet expired. These details are for centrally funded subscriptions taken by the Department's Knowledge Centre.
	Net
	Access Journal
	Accountancy
	Addiction Today
	Administrative Science Quarterly
	Aids and Hepatitis Digest
	Alcohol and Alcoholism
	Ambulance UK
	American Heart Journal
	American Journal of Nursing
	Architects Journal including AJ Specification & AJ Buildings Library
	Architectural Review
	BCIS Quarterly Review of Building Prices Building Costs Information Service
	BMA News
	BMJ British Medical Journal Clinical Research Edition
	BMJ British Medical Journal General Practice Edition
	BMJ British Medical Journal International Edition
	BMJ British Medical Journal Quality and Safety
	Bookseller & Bookseller Buyer's Guide & Children's Buyer's Guide
	British Dental Journal
	British Journal of Community Nursing
	British Journal of General Practice Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
	British Journal of Healthcare Management
	British Journal of Hospital Medicine
	British Journal of Midwifery
	British Journal of Nursing
	British Journal of Occupational Therapy
	British Journal of Psychiatry
	British Journal of Psychology
	British Journal of Social Work
	British Medical Bulletin
	Building
	Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics
	Canadian Journal of Public Health
	Caring Times
	Chemist and Druggist & Generics List & Price List & Over the Counter
	Child and Adolescent Mental Health
	CIPFA Financial Information Service
	Civil Service World
	Clinica Medtech Intelligence
	Clinical Medicine Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of London
	Clinical Risk
	Colour of Health
	Community Care
	Community Dental Health
	Computing
	Consumer Safety Bulletin
	Current Medical Research and Opinion
	Current Problems in Cancer
	Dentistry
	Disability Now
	Diverse Minds Magazine
	ElSharp
	Economics Package
	Economist
	Editors Media Directories Volume 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6
	ENDS Report
	Environmental Health News
	Estates Gazette & Directory
	Eurohealth
	European Journal of Health Economics HEPAC
	European Voice
	Evaluation
	Evidence Based Medicine
	Evidence Based Mental Health
	Evidence Based Nursing
	Expert Review of Vaccines
	Family Practice
	Fire Protection Association Library of Fire Safety
	Fiscal Studies
	Fluoride
	Freedom of Information Journal
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Salmonella

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many confirmed cases of salmonella have been reported in adults in each of the last five years.

Anna Soubry: The data on confirmed cases of salmonella reported in adults over the last five years can be found in the following table and have been a supplied by the Health Protection Agency. The figures reported are for England and Wales only. It is not possible to separate out indigenous and travel associated cases.
	
		
			 Laboratory-confirmed cases of Salmonella in adults (16 years and over) 
			  England and Wales(1) 
			 2007 9,066 
			 2008 7,715 
			 2009 6,636 
			 2010 6,472 
			 2011 6,264 
			 (1) This includes data for both indigenous and travel associated cases. Typhoidal cases are also included.

School Milk

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding his Department has claimed from the EU for school milk in each of the last 10 financial years.

David Heath: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
	DEFRA has claimed and paid out to approved claimants the following amount of EU school milk aid in each of the last 10 financial years:
	
		
			 £ 
			  Net amounts paid 
			 Financial year GB England 
			 2001-02 6,828,923.97 5,817,139.99 
			 2002-03 6,303,687.19 4,879,304.77 
			 2003-04 7,181,973.00 5,402,662.61 
			 2004-05 6,830,606.28 5,194,683.01 
			 2005-06 6,240,106.98 4,856,047.42 
			 2006-07 6,221,713.84 4,807,027.72 
			 2008-09 5,644,056.06 4,297,642.62 
			 2009-10 6,736,614.20 5,070,129.28 
			 2010-11 2,243,838.85 1,367,909.91 
			 2011-12 3,681,509.43 2,527,740.58 
			 Source: Rural Payments Agency 
		
	
	This scheme is driven entirely by consumption rates at schools. The amount of aid claimed and paid out by DEFRA will vary according to whether education authorities, schools or parents decide that more or fewer children should take part in the scheme.

Smoking: Young People

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of (a) boys, (b) girls and (c) children aged 15 years old smoked in each of the last 30 years.

Anna Soubry: Table 3.3a of ‘Smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in England in 2011’ shows the proportion of pupils aged 11 to 15 who were regular smokers by sex and age for the period 1982 to 2000. Table 3.3b shows the same information for the period 2001 to 2011.
	Tables 3.1a and 3.1b of the same report show smoking behaviour among young people aged 11 to 15 by sex for the period 1982 t o2011.
	This publication has been placed in the Library and is available from the following link:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/sdd11fullreport

Tonsillitis

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the NHS was of tonsillitis operations in 2011.

Anna Soubry: The information requested is not available because the cost of tonsillitis operations is not reported separately to the Department.
	However, through the annual reference cost collection, national health service trusts and foundation trusts are required to report costs against the following four health care resource groups (HRG's):
	
		
			  Tonsillitis operations 
			 CZ05S Tonsillectomy 18 years and under with complications and comorbidities 
			 CZ05T Tonsillectomy 18 years and under without complications and comorbidities 
		
	
	
		
			 CZ05V Tonsillectomy 19 years and over with complications and comorbidities 
			 CZ05Y Tonsillectomy 19 years and over without complications and comorbidities 
			 Notes: 1. Reference costs are collected at HRG level. HRGs are the currency or unit of health care for which a payment for acute health care in England is made. They are standard groupings of clinically similar treatments which use similar levels of health care resource. 2. Data taken from Schedule 4 (own data for trusts and primary care trusts). Source: Published Reference Costs 2011-12 
		
	
	Using these reported costs, the estimated total cost to the NHS of tonsillectomies in 2011-12 was £78.3 million.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Homosexuality

Diana Johnson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what her policy is on conversion and reparative therapies offered to homosexual people by counsellors and psychotherapists.

Norman Lamb: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department of Health.
	The Department of Health does not condone the concept of therapists offering 'cures' for homosexuality. There is no evidence that this sort of treatment is beneficial and indeed it may well cause significant harm, to some patients. It is incumbent on professionals working in the national health service to ensure that treatment and care, including therapy, is provided to every patient without any form of discrimination.
	If someone is suffering a mental health problem, clinicians will try to help patients with whatever is causing them distress. This could involve helping someone come to terms with their sexuality, family arguments over their sexuality, or hostility from other people.
	We know from research that the incidence of depression, anxiety and suicide within the gay community is significantly higher than within the heterosexual community and this is why “No health without mental health” identifies lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people as a specific group for whom a tailored approach to their mental health is necessary.

EDUCATION

Children

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has carried out on the potential effect on disabled children in need of his proposals to amend the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families guidance; and what steps he has taken to mitigate any such risks.

Edward Timpson: holding answer 5 November 2012
	Our proposals to reform the assessment of children in need and their families are the result of a wide-ranging and independent review by Professor Eileen Munro of the London School of Economics (“the Munro Review”). Professor Munro looked at how the system could be reformed to keep a focus on the child's journey from needing to receiving help, covering both section 17 of the Children Act 1989 (children in need) and section 47 of that Act (children at risk of significant harm). Under section 17 of the Children Act 1989, all disabled children fall within the definition of a child in need. The legislative framework for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in need (including children at risk of significant harm) remains in place.
	The policy intention on which we consulted—to put the needs of individual children at the heart of assessment—seeks to improve the quality of assessments and ultimately the outcomes for all children. The consultation impact assessment set out that we believe the proposed guidance is likely to have a positive impact on any particular vulnerable child, whether or not disabled, under both section 17 and section 47. Further evidence on this issue is being provided through analysis of the consultation responses and ongoing evidence provided from the eight trial authorities who are testing a more flexible approach to assessment. This is why the Government are committed to undertaking further analysis of the impact on equalities, including disability, post-consultation.
	We are still considering the responses received to the consultation—we are determined to get the revised statutory guidance right so that it will be the catalyst for change and put the needs of all individual children and young people back at the heart of assessment.

Children in Care

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children were taken into care in England in the last full year for which figures were available; and how many of those children were from (a) single parent families and (b) families where the parents were married.

Edward Timpson: holding answer 6 November 2012
	There were 10,100 children who were taken into care(1) during the 12 months to 31 March 2012. The Department does not collect information on whether those children are from a single parent family or a married couple.
	The information for children taken into care in the last 12 months is also published in table LAC1 of the Department's Statistical First Release, “Children Looked After by Local Authorities in England (including adoption and care leavers)—year ending 31 March 2012”. This publication can be found at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/statistics/allstatistics/a00213762/children-looked-after-las-england
	(1) Children taken into care are children who started to be looked after under a care order, police protection, emergency protection order or child assessment order.

Children in Care

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will consider giving all children in care a statutory right to independent advocacy as part of care reviews and placement planning.

Edward Timpson: The current statutory framework requires local authorities to ensure that all looked after children have access to independent advocacy. Statutory guidance in the Independent Reviewing Officers Handbook (2010) requires that children should be provided with support from an advocate whenever they wish to make representations about the services they receive.
	Local authorities are also expected to publicise their arrangements for the provision of advocacy services and to provide information about children's rights. This should be age appropriate and wide-ranging to reflect the various needs of all children and young people.

Children: Corporal Punishment

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on implementing the recommendations of Sir Roger Singleton in his March 2010 report entitled Physical punishment: improving consistency and protection, on extending the existing ban on physical punishment in schools to (a) madrassas and (b) other unregulated care and learning settings.

Edward Timpson: holding answer 6 November 2012
	The Government are considering the recommendations made in Sir Roger Singleton's report.
	We are absolutely clear that no child should be subjected to violence or abuse. All the settings referred to in the question are subject to the law which protects children from violence and abuse. Child protection agencies and the police treat allegations of abuse very seriously, investigating and taking appropriate action, including prosecution where there is sufficient evidence.
	Parents and those working within communities also have a responsibility to ensure that children are protected and that allegations are reported to the relevant authorities. Barriers to doing so must be broken down within communities and with the engagement of community leaders, supported by local agencies including Local Safeguarding Children Boards.

Children: Poverty

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children lived in poverty in each of the last 30 years; and what projections he has made for each of the next five years.

David Laws: Estimates of the number and proportion of children living in income poverty in the United Kingdom are published in the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) and Low Income Dynamics (LID) series.
	The Child Poverty Act 2010 sets four income-based UK-wide targets to be met by 2020. The targets are based on the proportion of children living in households with relative low income, combined low income and material deprivation, absolute low income and persistent poverty (all before housing costs have been taken into account).
	The Government have not produced forecasts of the number of children living in income poverty for the next five years. The number of children in poverty is dependent on a number of factors which cannot be reliably predicted, including the median income.
	Relative low income and absolute low income figures which cover the period of 30 years and combined low income and material deprivation for the last seven years for the UK can be found in table 1.
	
		
			 Table 1: Child poverty statistics: Percentage of children falling below various thresholds, 1981 to 2010/11 
			 Percentage 
			  Relative low income (BHC) Absolute low income (BHC) Combined low income and material deprivation 
			 1981 19 43 — 
			 1987 23 34 — 
			 1988 and 1989 25 31 — 
			 1990 and 1991 27 32 — 
			 1991 and 1992 28 32 — 
			 1992 and 1993 29 33 — 
			 1993/94 and 1994/95 28 31 — 
			 1994/95 and 1995/96 27 29 — 
			 1995/96 and 1996/97 29 30 — 
			 1994/95 25 30 — 
			 1995/96 24 29 — 
			 1996/97 27 29 — 
			 1997/98 27 28 — 
			 1998/99 26 26 — 
			 1999/00 26 23 — 
			 2000/01 23 19 — 
			 2001/02 23 15 — 
			 2002/03 23 14 — 
			 2003/04 22 14 — 
			 2004/05 21 13 17 
			 2005/06 22 13 16 
			 2006/07 22 13 16 
			 2007/08 23 13 17 
			 2008/09 22 12 17 
			 2009/10 20 11 16 
			 2010/11 18 11 14 
			 Notes: 1. These statistics are based on the 2010/11 Households Below Average Income (HBAI) publication, which uses disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living and is available at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=hbai_arc 2. The statistics from 1981 to 1995/96 and 1996/97 are sourced from the Financial Expenditure Survey (FES) and are for the United Kingdom. These are single calendar years for 1981 and 1987; two combined calendar years from 1988 and 1993 and two financial years from 1993/94 to 1996/97. 3. The statistics from 1994/95 onwards are sourced from the Family Resources Survey (FRS) and are for Great Britain only up to 1997/98 and are for the United Kingdom from 1998/99 onwards. 4. The relative low income child poverty measure captures the number of children who live in a household with an equivalised income below 60% of contemporary median income, Before Housing Costs (BHC). 5. The absolute low income child poverty measure captures the number of children who live in a household with an equivalised income below 60% of 1998/99 median household income held constant in real terms. 6. The combined low income and material deprivation measure captures the number of children who live in a household with an equivalised income below 70% of contemporary median income and have a material deprivation score of 25 or more. A suite of questions designed to capture the material deprivation experienced by families have only been captured since 2004/05 and are therefore only available from this year onwards. 7. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to a degree of uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 8. Percentages of children in low-income households have been rounded to the nearest percentage point. Source: Households Below Average Income (HBAI) 2010/11 
		
	
	Figures for persistent poverty are published in a separate statistical release called Low Income Dynamics (LID) and are only available from 1991-94 onwards, they can be found in table 2:
	
		
			 Table 2: Persistent child poverty statistics 1991/94 to 2005/08 
			 Percentage 
			  Persistent poverty (BHC) 
			 1991/94 19 
			 1992/95 18 
			 1993/96 17 
			 1994/97 17 
			 1995/98 17 
			 1996/99 17 
			 1997/2000 17 
			 1998/01 17 
			 1999/02 16 
			 2000/03 14 
			 2001/04 12 
			 2002/05 11 
			 2003/06 10 
			 2004/07 10 
			 2005/08 12 
			 Notes: 1. These statistics are based on the Low Income Dynamics (LID) data sourced from the British Households Panel Survey (BHPS) and is available at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/hbai/low_income/low_income_dynamics_1991-2008.pdf 2. The persistent child poverty measure captures the number of children who have lived in a household with an equivalised income of less than 60% of contemporary median income for at least three of the last four years, BHC. 3. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to a degree of uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 4. Percentages of children in low-income households have been rounded to the nearest percentage point. Source: Low Income Dynamics (LID) 
		
	
	Figures for the period of 2011/12 for the first three measures are due to be reported in the next HBAI publication which will be available from the DWP website from May/June 2013:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=hbai
	Data covering 2005-08 are the latest available data for the persistent poverty measure. These data were previously sourced from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) which has been subsumed into the larger Understanding Society survey from the start of 2009. Due to the time of data delivery of the BHPS element of the Understanding Society survey it is not possible to produce a Low Income Dynamics report this year; instead this period will be used to look into options on how to continue measuring the persistence of low income.
	Income matters but considering this in isolation fails to properly reflect the reality of child poverty in the UK today. We are very interested in developing better measurements of child poverty which include income but provide a more accurate picture of the reality of child poverty and will be seeking a wide range of views in the autumn as part of a consultation on how best to measure child poverty.

English Baccalaureate

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure that teachers being trained through Teaching Schools will have the skills, confidence and commitment in outdoor learning to teach high-quality fieldwork in (a) science, (b) geography and (c) other English Baccalaureate subjects.

David Laws: The Secretary of State does not set the content of initial teacher training courses. It is for training providers to decide what trainees should be taught to enable them to achieve the Teachers' Standards. Trainees must know and understand the relevant settings and context applicable to the subject they wish to teach.

Free School Meals

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which streams of funding allocated by his Department are contingent on the proportion of pupils claiming free school meals.

David Laws: The funding streams allocated by the Department for Education which are currently or are planned to be contingent on the proportion of pupils claiming free school meals (FSM) are:
	The pupil premium, as it applies to economically disadvantaged children;
	The Summer Schools programme, to help disadvantaged children make a successful transition from primary to secondary schools;
	A one-off capital allocation of £100 million for 2012-13 for the provision of extra places for disadvantaged two-year-olds;
	The funding formula for free schools, which does include reference to the number of children eligible for FSM as a measure of deprivation; and
	Funding to be paid to local authorities in 2013-14 to provide additional early years places for disadvantaged two-years-olds.
	In addition, the General Annual Grant paid to academies, which is linked to the local funding formula for each academy's local authority, can include reference to the number of children eligible for FSM if included in the local formula. There is, however, no central requirement to link FSM eligibility to academy funding.
	All of the above funding information relates to England only. The funding arrangements for the Department's funding streams may change over time.

Free Schools: Special Educational Needs

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he proposes that Ofsted inspectors will receive specialised training on visiting free schools for children with special educational needs; and who will provide such training.

David Laws: holding answer 6 November 2012
	This question is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has written to the hon. Member, and a copy of his response has been placed in the House Libraries.
	Letter from Sir Michael Wilshaw, dated 5 November 2012
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
	Inspections of free schools are carried out using the same inspection framework as for all maintained schools and academies. These inspections are undertaken under section 5 of the Education Act (2005). The judgements made by inspectors during these inspections are explained in detail in Ofsted's published evaluation schedule. The provision made for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities—and their outcomes—are strongly represented in the grade descriptors inspectors use to make these judgements. The most recent version of the evaluation schedule was first published as part of the draft school inspection handbook in June 2012, for use in inspections commencing during the autumn term 2012.
	The introduction of this revised evaluation schedule was accompanied by extensive training both of all Her Majesty's Inspectors directly employed by Ofsted, and all of the Additional Inspectors who are employed by inspection service providers and who carry out section 5 inspections. The training material was provided by Ofsted and included the inspection of provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. Her Majesty's Inspectors were present at each of the training events for Additional Inspectors, undertaken by the inspection service providers, to ensure the material was delivered as intended and to answer any questions that arose.
	In addition to training provided by Ofsted when a new framework is introduced, Ofsted makes arrangements for inspectors' annual refresher training on the inspection of provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. This element of training fulfils Ofsted's commitment to provide an annual update for all section 5 inspectors on this very important aspect of schools' work.
	Ofsted also trains specialist inspectors who lead inspections in specialist provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs (this includes specialist resource bases, special schools—including special free schools—and pupil referral units). These specialist inspectors have particular expertise in this aspect of education. They are required to undertake enhanced training before they are able to inspect such provision, and annually thereafter. Again, the training materials provided by Her Majesty's inspectors.
	As well as making provision for training, Ofsted requires the inspection service providers to ensure that inspection teams include an inspector who, as far as is possible, has expertise to match the aspects of disability and special educational needs of the school.

Outdoor Education

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect of closure of outdoor education centres on the level of uptake of residential experiences by students from areas with multiple deprivation; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Timpson: The Government believe that schools should have the maximum freedom to design a curriculum that meets their pupils' needs, including through activities outside the classroom. We know that many schools value education outside the classroom and may choose to use outdoor education centres. However, we do not collect data on the number or location of these centres.

Primary Education: Teachers

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which primary schools had (a) fewer than 10 per cent, (b) fewer than 5 per cent and (c) zero qualified full-time male teachers in each local authority area in the most recent year for which figures are available.

David Laws: holding answer 1 November 2012
	The information requested has been placed in the House Libraries.
	The data show there were 5,812 primary schools (35.5% of all primary schools) where fewer than 10% of their full-time qualified teachers were male. This includes 4,483 primary schools (27.4% of all primary schools) where they had no full-time qualified male teachers. There were also a further 38 schools (0.2%) where the proportion of full-time qualified teachers were male ranged between 0 and 5% and a further 1,291 schools (7.9%) where the proportion of full-time qualified male teachers ranged between 5% and 10%.

Teachers: Pensions

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the cost was of renegotiating the contract with Capita Hartshead for the administration of the Teachers Pension Scheme (England and Wales).

David Laws: Capita secured the Teachers' Pension Scheme administration contract following an open procurement exercise, which was managed by the Department. The contract was let on 23 March 2011, and commenced service on 1 October 2011. There were costs of £705,000 associated with the use of specialist consultants and hiring a neutral venue in which to hold procurement meetings. It was approved by the Cabinet Office.

Young People: Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for what reason young people aged 16 to 17 years with one GCSE are excluded from participation in the Youth Contract.

David Laws: holding answer 29 October 2012
	We have designed the Youth Contract programme to support the most disengaged young people, those who would not participate in education or training without this additional help. These are the young people who are likely to be at greatest risk of being not in education, employment or training (NEET) for longest, which in turn gives an increased risk of future long-term unemployment and low wages.
	Attainment at age 16 is the most important factor in determining later participation. Those without qualifications at that age are more likely to be NEET and spend a longer time NEET than those with qualifications. This is why we have set the clear and stretching eligibility criteria for the programme to focus on those with low levels of attainment.
	However, in order to ensure that programme is focused on engaging those in greatest need of support we will keep the eligibility criteria under review.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Business: Government Assistance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills by what date he expects the GrowthAccelerator programme to provide help to 26,000 businesses; and what benchmarks and targets he or his officials have set for the programme.

Michael Fallon: GrowthAccelerator (GA) will support up to 26,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (Sees) over the period 2011/12 to 2014/15. The programme is expected to deliver growth of £2.2 billion and to create 55,000 new jobs.

Business: Government Assistance

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on investment in green manufacturing jobs.

Vincent Cable: I regularly meet my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change to discuss energy and climate change policies, including investment in green manufacturing jobs. We are seeking to exploit opportunities for growth through green technologies and I have recently announced that the UK Green Investment Bank is operational which will support investment in green manufacturing.

Executives: Pay

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will publish a list of all (a) consultative events and (b) bilateral meetings held by his Department since June 2010 in relation to the Government's review of executive pay; on what dates any such meetings took place; and what organisations were represented at such meetings.

Jo Swinson: holding answer 14 September 2012
	Between May 2011 and September 2012, the Department held or attended more than 100 bilateral meetings, 25 consultation events and several conferences specifically to discuss the Government's review of executive pay. Through these meetings, the Department engaged with over 150 stakeholders, including investors and investor bodies, businesses and business groups, the TUC, lawyers and consultants, and many others. In addition, the Department has considered over 600 responses to the five relevant consultations published since October 2010.
	(1)
	A list of meetings has been placed in the Libraries of the House. The list does not provide details of all attendees at all meetings as this information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The Department does not hold information on meetings held before May 2011 or on all meetings where, although not on the agenda, executive pay was discussed.
	(1) A Long Term Focus for Corporate Britain, October 2010
	Executive Remuneration Discussion Paper, September 2011
	The Future of Narrative Reporting: A Further Consultation, September 2011
	Executive Pay: Consultation on Enhanced Shareholder Voting Rights, March 2012
	Directors' Pay: Consultation on Revised Remuneration Reporting Regulations, June 2012

Gangmasters Licensing Authority

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the trades union membership of the board of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority; and if he will make a statement.

David Heath: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
	The Gangmasters (Licensing Authority) Regulations 2005 sets out in schedule 1 the organisations eligible to nominate representatives to the board. This includes trade union organisations as well as representatives of labour users, labour providers, manufacturer, retailers and others. The Red Tape Challenge concluded that an amended structure and smaller board (currently there are 19 members plus nine ex officio members) would assist in providing clear strategic leadership and direction to the authority.

Gangmasters Licensing Authority

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what the annual (a) real terms and (b) percentage change in the budget of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority was since 2010;
	(2)  what plans he has to reduce the budget of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority.

David Heath: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
	The budget for the Gangmasters Licensing Authority over the spending review period is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 
			 Total (£ million) 4.0 4.2 4.0 4.0 3.9 
			       
			 Change      
			 (a) Real terms (£ million) — 0.1 -0.3 -0.1 -0.2 
			 (b) Nominal (percentage) — 5.0 -5.0 0 -3.0 
		
	
	No decisions have been made about budgets beyond the current spending review period.

Groceries Code Adjudicator

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with retailers on the introduction of the Groceries Code Adjudicator.

Jo Swinson: My predecessor, my hon. Friend the Member for North Norfolk (Norman Lamb), met a wide variety of stakeholders as he developed policy around the Groceries Code Adjudicator. These included retailers, suppliers, trade associations, non-governmental associations and campaign groups.
	I met with retailers on 10 October 2012, including representatives from the British Retail Consortium, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Asda and Morrisons. I met with supplier and campaign groups on 18 October 2012, including representatives from the Groceries Market Action Group, the National Farmers Union, The Food and Drink Federation, Traidcraft and ActionAid.

Higher Education: Admissions

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reason a combination of A level and Pre-U qualifications is not allowed within the ABB+ non-limitation policy for university applications; how many students will be affected by this; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) consulted on the suite of qualifications that should be included in estimating the number of places to be freed from student number controls through the high grades policy (ABB+ in 2013/14). As a result, HEFCE included the Cambridge Pre-U qualification on the list of equivalencies with A Level. However, HEFCE concluded that allowing for combinations of different qualifications would add a significant level of complexity and that it would not be feasible to single out the combination of Pre-U and A Level for inclusion without also including other combinations. HEFCE also allocated a number of protected core places to each institution to enable them to make offers to students with combinations of qualifications or with lower grades. HEFCE is confident that there are sufficient places available for institutions to make offers to students with A Level and Pre-U in combination and any other qualifications or combinations of qualifications not included on the high grades exemptions list. The awarding body estimates that around 600 students take the Pre-U in combination with A Level.

Regional Growth Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Hertford and Stortford of 29 October 2012, Official Report, column 115W, on Regional Growth Fund, what categories his Department has used to classify withdrawn bids to the Regional Growth Fund; and for what reason the 30 bids to the Regional Growth Fund were withdrawn.

Michael Fallon: 30 bidders have withdrawn from Rounds 1 and 2, allowing over £108 million to be recycled back into the RGF (including for Round 3). For a fund of this size these numbers are low; withdrawals also point to the robustness of the process, about which the NAO has been positive.
	There are various reasons for withdrawals; for example, withdrawal of support from the parent company; inability to secure match funding; failure to get planning permission; and a change in market conditions. Listing the specific reason for each withdrawal may prejudice the future commercial interests of the company but all bids have been withdrawn because they are not going to deliver the benefits forecast in the bid.

Regional Growth Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills by what date he expects all successful bids to (a) round one, (b) round two and (c) round three of the Regional Growth Fund to have received their first payment of funds; and what benchmarks and targets his Department has set for this process.

Michael Fallon: For Rounds 1 and 2 of the Regional Growth Fund, total spend to date is £516 million: this comprises first and subsequent payments according to the schedules set out in final offer letters and firms' own requests; more than 80% of Rounds 1 and 2 projects have started. We expect the majority of remaining contracts for Rounds 1 and 2 bids to be finalised this year and those firms will then be able to make their first payment request according to their own requirements.
	In Round 3, last month we announced the 130 bidders selected to proceed to due diligence and contracting; of those, 128 have accepted draft conditional offers. We now have in place a new accelerated timetable and target dates for contracting with a new three-month time limit from announcement to conditional offer letter (19 January 2013) and a further three-month time limit from conditional offer to completion of due diligence and final agreement (19 April 2013). However, we expect that some of the 128 bidders will finalise their contracts before those target dates and thus make their first claims in this financial year.

Regional Growth Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Southport, of 17 July 2012, Official Report, column 768W, on Regional Growth Fund, what the total value of funds that have been drawn down against final offers under round (a) one and (b) two of the Regional Growth Fund to date.

Michael Fallon: Under Round 1 of the Regional Growth Fund (RGF), £224 million has been drawn down; £292 million has been drawn down under Round 2. This makes a total of £516 million.
	There remain two further quarterly payment dates in this financial year: RGF Rounds 1 and 2 grant recipients making their first claims as they fulfil the conditions in their final grant offer letters will be added to those firms already drawing down grants.

Secondment

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff of his Department undertook secondments to business and industry in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13 to date; and in what (i) sectors and (ii) regions each such secondment took place.

Jo Swinson: holding answer 25 October 2012
	The number of Department for Business, Innovation and Skills staff who undertook secondments to all external organisations in (a) 2011-12 was 22 and in (b) 2011-13 to date is 10.
	The sector of industry and the region in which each secondment took place is not centrally held and while the information may possibly be held within the individual business units, collecting it would involve disproportionate cost.

Secondment

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people from business and industry undertook a secondment to his Department in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13 to date; and what (i) sectors and (ii) regions each such secondee came from.

Jo Swinson: holding answer 25 October 2012
	The number of all secondments into the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills from external organisations during (a) 2011-12 was 25 and (b) 2012-13 to date is five.
	The sector of industry and the region of origin of each secondee is not recorded centrally and while the information may be held with the individual business units, collecting it would involve disproportionate cost.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Community Care Grants: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Community Care Grant applications his Department has received from applicants in Warrington in each year since 2002; and how many grant awards were made in each such year.

Steve Webb: The following table contains the number of applications and awards of community care grant in the Warrington local authority area for each year from 2009.
	The data for previous years is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	We do not hold data for 2012-13.
	
		
			 Table 1: Applications and awards of community care grants in the Warrington local authority area 2009-12 
			  Community care grant applications Community care grant awards 
			 2009-10 2,020 870 
			 2010-11 1,880 880 
			 2011-12 1,740 760 
			 Notes: 1. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using official/national statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as official/national statistics and there are some issues with the data; for example, it does not include applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the social fund computer system. 2. Figures are for applications received, not for the number of people who made an application, and for initial awards made, not the number of people who received an initial award. (Some people made more than one application or received more than one initial award.) 3. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10 applications/awards.

Future Jobs Fund

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received assistance through the Future Jobs Fund in Ashfield constituency in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011 and (d) the latest period for which figures are available.

Mark Hoban: The Future Jobs Fund lasted between October 2009 and March 2011.
	Overall there were 170 starts to Future Jobs Fund vacancies in the Ashfield constituency: less than five starts in 2009, 150 starts in 2010 and 20 starts in 2011.
	Note that since placements usually lasted for six months, people who started in one year (e.g. 2009) might still be receiving assistance in the next year (e.g. 2010), so the number of starts in 2010 and 2011 will be different to the number of people receiving assistance in 2010 and 2011.

Personal Independence Payment

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department will issue to providers of the Personal Independence Payment assessment process on (a) the provider's role in collecting written evidence relating to the claimant's disability and (b) which claimant should be invited for a face-to-face consultation.

Esther McVey: We will give providers guidance on carrying out Personal Independence Payment assessments, including on the collection of evidence, carrying out paper-based assessments and inviting claimants to face-to-face consultations.
	As part of the Personal Independence Payment assessment we intend to make greater use of appropriate evidence to support claims. Evidence may be sent in with the claim form or requested by the provider where appropriate.
	The aim of the face-to-face consultation is for the health professional to gather sufficient factual information about the claimant and the impacts of their health condition or disability to enable the health professional to complete a clear, fully reasoned and justified report to a DWP Decision Maker.
	While face-to-face consultations will be an important part of the assessment for most individuals, allowing an in-depth look at their circumstances, they .will not be appropriate in every case. For example, we will not be requiring people claiming under the terminal illness provisions to attend face-to-face consultations. Meanwhile, where we already have enough evidence on which to make an assessment, it would be inappropriate to require individuals to attend a consultation. However, these decisions need to be taken on a case-by-case basis, as impairments can affect people in very different ways.

Staff

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on (a) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c) staff training in each of the last 12 months.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) From October 2011 to September 2012 DWP spent a total of £11,291,521 on recruitment agency fees, which is primarily salaries paid to interim staff.
	
		
			 £ 
			  Spend on recruitment agency fees (interim recruitment) Spend on recruitment agency fees (permanent recruitment) Total 
			 2011    
			 October 616,063 7,002 623,065 
			 November 1,104,237 30,479 1,134,716 
			 December 811,121 5,518 816,639 
			     
			 2012    
			 January 847,421 5,000 852,421 
			 February 555,509 14,584 570,093 
			 March 857,763 7,933 865,696 
			 April 477,568 65,145 542,713 
			 May 589,136 3,000 592,136 
			 June 561,858 12,000 575,858 
			 July 1,268,210 12,028 1,280,238 
			 August(1) 1,789,605 — 1,789,605 
			 September(1) 1,649,958 383 1,650,341 
			 Total 11,128,449 163,072 11,291,521 
			 (1) Includes Child Maintenance Group expenditure, who joined DWP in August 2012. 
		
	
	The figures relate to the number of Contingent Labour workers in DWP, of which there were 143 in September 2012.
	These workers are engaged where we do not have available skilled resource in-house, mainly in specialist roles such as Project Management and IT, for example there are about 65 currently engaged on universal credit.
	The above figures are published on the DWP website under ‘staff numbers and associated costs’ at the following link:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/corporate-publications/workforce-management.shtml
	All external recruitment is authorised only in exceptional circumstances and is subject to Chief Executive Officer and Permanent Secretary approval. All exceptions made to the freeze are reported to Ministers on a monthly basis.
	(b) From October 2011 to September 2012 DWP spent a total of £78,720 on outplacement fees for displaced or redundant staff.
	
		
			  Spend on outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff (£) 
			 2011  
			 October 11,940 
			 November 18,000 
			 December — 
			   
			 2012  
			 January 2,160 
			 February — 
			 March 33,300 
			 April — 
			 May 13,320 
			 June — 
			 July — 
			 August — 
			 September — 
			 Total 78,720 
		
	
	(c) From October 2011 to September 2012 DWP spent a total of £6,644,705 on staff training. For clarity, this does not include any travel and subsistence or salary costs of the DWP employees attending the training.
	
		
			  Spend on staff training (£) 
			 2011  
			 October 700,031 
			 November 516,625 
			 December 486,574 
			   
			 2012  
			 January 357,913 
			 February 478,189 
			 March 1,452,946 
			 April 821,553 
			 May 271,332 
			 June 268,890 
			 July 259,924 
			 August 445,356 
			 September 585,372 
			 Total 6,644,705

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to provide an exceptions process to allow those most at risk under universal credit to be paid in a different manner.

Mark Hoban: For a minority of claimants alternative payment arrangements known as payment exceptions may be required; this might include paying rent directly to the landlord, making payments more than once a month, or splitting the payment within the household.
	These exceptional payment arrangements would be time-limited and implemented in conjunction with the appropriate budgeting support / financial product to ensure claimants successfully transition to universal credit monthly budgeting.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what work his Department is undertaking to support families with their budgeting skills in anticipation of the introduction of universal credit.

Mark Hoban: One of the aims of universal credit is to enable and support people to manage their affairs and become more self-sufficient. Supporting the development of effective budgeting skills is an important part of that and we are examining a range of options to support claimants, including working with the advice sector and a range of banking and financial product providers.
	In particular we have undertaken work to explore the feasibility of making financial products with budgeting functionalities available to universal credit claimants. These accounts would support claimants to manage their money through inbuilt budgeting features such as the ability to split UC into different sub-accounts for specific expenditure items such as rent, utilities etc. to support and develop good monthly budgeting behaviours.
	Support for budgeting skills more generally is included in the work we are progressing as part of broader claimant support arrangements. It will also be assessed as part of the Direct Payment Demonstration Projects and is included in the scope of many of the LA-led pilots announced last month.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what work his Department has undertaken to generate innovative approaches to ensure that local support is in place to support the introduction of universal credit.

Mark Hoban: We are in talks with local authorities, social housing providers and charities about how localised claimant support will operate under UC. This includes discussions about how people will access advice and information during transition and migration to UC and in the future. Details for how localised claimant support will operate will be made available in the new year.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the likely average time it will take under universal credit for a payment to be made following the submission of a fresh claim.

Mark Hoban: The universal credit assessment period will be for a month from the date of claim, and the claimant will be paid within seven days of the end of the assessment period.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who will qualify for payment of universal credit under the proposed exceptions process.

Mark Hoban: The number of claimants who will qualify for a payment exceptions under universal credit will depend on the detailed rules. These rules are currently under development and the Direct Payment Demonstration projects set up in June 2012 are helping to inform the development of the criteria, in particular for determining when it would be appropriate to make a payment direct to a landlord. The learning from the project is therefore informing the development of the detailed process and this will be finalised in summer 2013.

Vacancies

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department's vacancy rate was in 2011-12; and what vacancy rate has been assumed for 2012-13.

Mark Hoban: The Department has a reducing headcount profile and a freeze on recruitment has been in place in the Department since May 2010. The replacement of leavers is authorised only in exceptional circumstances and is subject to chief executive officer and permanent secretary approval. All exceptions made to the freeze are reported to Ministers on a monthly basis.
	The Department does not record a staff vacancy rate. Staff turnover rate is used as a key measure in work force planning.
	The turnover rate is used to monitor the pace at which staff leave as a proportion of the total number of staff in the Department. Turnover is expressed as an annual percentage rate.
	In September 2012 the annual departmental turnover rate for permanent staff was 4.1%. This rate excludes all staff on fixed term contracts. Our current planning assumption is that it will fall from its current rate to 3.5% during 2012/13.

Work Programme

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what procedures he has put in place to monitor the outcomes for individuals given early access to the Work programme as a result of having been identified as potentially affected by the household benefit cap; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: No new procedures for monitoring outcomes of individuals given early access to the Work programme as a result of being identified as potentially affected by the benefit cap have been put in place.
	Appropriate claimant outcomes are already monitored through the Work programme.

Working Conditions

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will adopt the Protection of Workers Bill as Government legislation in order to increase its chances of being enacted.

Mark Hoban: The Government are committed to protecting workers and reducing violent crime. We believe the law already provides adequate provision for taking action against perpetrators of violent assault against people while they are at work. We do not therefore see a need for additional legislation as proposed by this Bill.

Working Conditions

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he plans to take to reduce the number of assaults on public-facing workers by members of the public.

Mark Hoban: The Government already support a number of initiatives to reduce violent crime. There is also a wide range of advice and guidance for employers in relation to tackling the risks of assault to their workers from public organisations and industry and trade union bodies.

Working Conditions

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of existing legislation in deterring assaults on public-facing workers.

Mark Hoban: DWP is not responsible for specific legislation in relation to criminal assault and so has not conducted any assessment of its effectiveness.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will detail how many people serving in the (a) Royal Navy, (b) RAF and (c) Army have a conviction from civil courts for offences of (i) rape and (ii) sexual assaults; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many cases of (a) rape and (b) sexual assault were reported to the civilian police by members of the armed forces in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: The service police are not aware of any serving armed forces personnel that have been convicted of rape in a civil court. There are, as of 17 October 2012, two armed forces personnel serving in the Army who have been found guilty of sexual assault in a civilian court and who are subject to Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA). Records are not held centrally of any convictions where MAPPA does not apply.
	Police primacy for serious sexual offences committed in the UK usually rests with the civilian police. Civil police forces are under no obligation to inform the Ministry of Defence of crimes reported to them by members of the armed forces. Therefore we are unable to provide this information.

Army: Germany

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how much has been spent on the refurbishment of bases to facilitate the return to the UK of troops currently stationed in Germany;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse in (a) 2012-13 and (b) each subsequent financial year of the return to the UK of troops currently stationed in Germany;
	(3)  what the present timetable is for the return to the UK of troops currently stationed in Germany.

Mark Francois: holding answer 1 November 2012
	The Ministry of Defence is meeting its time scales to withdraw troops from Germany by 2020. The detailed work to optimise the military footprint and associated costs, is being developed. An announcement will be made in due course.

Corporate Gifts and Hospitality

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which officials in his Department have received gifts or hospitality from employees or representatives of the defence industry valued at over (a) £100, (b) £250, (c) £500 and (d) £1,000 in each of the last three years.

Mark Francois: holding answer 31 October 2012
	The Ministry of Defence's rules on the acceptance of gifts and hospitality state that every Head of Division or Commanding Officer must maintain a hospitality log in which to record contact with persons, firms or organisations holding or seeking to obtain Government contracts. All offers of gifts, complimentary vouchers, other incentives and hospitality made to Crown servants whether accepted or declined must be recorded in the log. Senior management are responsible for undertaking regular reviews of the hospitality log, but the information is not collated centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Defence Infrastructure Organisation

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in what areas he proposes that the Defence Infrastructure Organisation will find savings.

Mark Francois: holding answer 5 November 2012
	The formation of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has brought together property and infrastructure functions from across Defence, which will for the first time provide a strategic and integrated view across the estate.
	The major costs of the DIO are manpower and contract costs associated with hard and soft facilities management, utilities and accommodation. It is anticipated that the formation of the DIO will eliminate duplication, deliver economies of scale and allow the Department to focus investment in the estate, resulting in savings in both manpower and contract costs.

Libya

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the functionality and performance of the Combined Forces Air Component Command and the Combined Air Operations Centre was during Operation Ellamy; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 5 November 2012
	The Combined Forces Air Component Command (CFACC) exercises the command function over the air component during an operation. During the majority of Operation Ellamy the CFACC was based in the existing NATO Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) at Poggio, Italy, co-ordinating all NATO air operations during the campaign. Additional personnel from across the contributing countries were accordingly posted to this centre during Ellamy.
	During the NATO-led Libyan campaign, the Alliance proved it can deliver a robust and credible response to new security challenges in line with the 2010 Strategic Concept. The NATO Command Structure responded promptly to manage the Libya operation and the Alliance proved to be reliable, capable and very successful at combining its members and partners into an effective force; the UK played a critical role in this success.

Libya

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the response times were of the Air Tasking Order cycle during Operation Ellamy; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 5 November 2012
	During Operation Ellamy last year, the NATO Combined Air Operations Centre in Italy employed an air tasking order with a 72 hour overall cycle. This allowed comprehensive planning of deliberate targets and supporting air activities. However, the NATO process also allowed for the generation of targets on a much shorter timeframe as required. The planning cycle also ensured that, where required, consecutive coalition fast jet sorties could respond dynamically to any emerging threats to the Libyan civilian population.

Military Police

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what awareness and investigation training has been provided to members of the Royal Military Police in relation to rape and sexual assault cases in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: Royal Military Police (RMP) personnel undertake awareness and investigation training throughout their military careers, which includes training in relation to rape and sexual assault. The following table shows the number of personnel who have attended and been provided with the appropriate training in each of the last five years.
	
		
			 Course 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Initial Military Police Training Course. Undertaken by personnel at the start of their career. 115 125 138 155 167 
			 Volume Crime Investigation Course. Undertaken by those who have served for three to four years in the RMP. 58 112 106 109 112 
			 Serious Crime Investigation Course. All who serve in the Special Investigation Branch SIB must attend and pass before serving in SIB. 22 16 29 31 31 
			 Military Police Officers Course. All officers attend when first commissioned into the RMP. 29 25 16 20 19 
		
	
	
		
			 Crime Scene Investigators Course. Covers sexual offences from a forensic perspective. 21 20 21 26 24 
			 Total 245 298 310 341 353 
		
	
	These various courses cover training at different levels for rape and sexual assault cases and include Sexual Offences Act legislation, investigative techniques, forensic awareness, how to deal with witnesses, preservation of evidence, how to deal with a suspected sexual offence, anonymity of victims and signposting victims to assisting agencies. The courses also have contributions from external subject matter experts.
	In addition to the specific military police training, 250 personnel have also completed Home Office accredited training specific to dealing with offences of a sexual nature. A further 90 service police personnel, the majority of whom were Royal Military Police personnel, have completed forensic awareness of sexual offences training.

NATO

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made in implementing a customer-funded approach to the NATO Communication and Information Systems Services Agency budget; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The NATO Communication and Information Systems Services Agency (NCSA) was subsumed into the new NATO Communication and Information Agency (NCIA), which was established on 1 July 2012. Elements of the NCIA programme are already customer-funded, and we expect all business to be financed in this way from 2014.

NATO

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made in implementing the new NATO Command Structure; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The new NATO Command Structure (NCS) was agreed in principle at the Lisbon summit in 2010, since when the new geographic footprint and allocation of senior level posts amongst the allies has been agreed. The United Kingdom has retained the post of Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (DSACEUR) and is filling the post of Commander of the Maritime HQ at Northwood. The allocation of the remaining posts should be agreed in December 2012. Initial operating capability for the NCS is planned for December 2013 with full operating capability to follow no later than December 2015.

NATO

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) achieved and (b) planned savings for the NATO Agencies Reform Programme are.

Andrew Robathan: The new NATO agencies structure has only been in place since 1 July 2012 so it is too early to make a realistic assessment of savings achieved. The agencies have been directed to deliver an initial saving of 20% on their running and personnel costs while maintaining capability and service delivery.

NATO

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on the NATO Agencies Reform Programme; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The reform of NATO's agencies is a key element of the wider programme of transforming the North Atlantic Alliance for the 21st Century. Under plans agreed by Heads of State and Government at the Lisbon summit in 2010 the Alliance has transitioned to a new structure that comprises three core agencies covering communications and information, support, and procurement, all of which were formally established on 1 July 2012. Additionally, an Office of Shared Services has been set up to take forward the provision of shared services across the three agencies and NATO HQ, thus achieving savings through collective procurement and rationalisation.

Reserve Forces

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the additional reservists the armed forces plan to recruit will have military experience.

Mark Francois: holding answer 29 October 2012
	As we build our reserve forces it will be important to capture the skills of those leaving the regular forces, to grow the size of the reserve forces and to benefit from their resilience and experience.
	All three services are working to make it as quick and easy as possible for individuals leaving the regular forces to join the reserves. This includes simplifying administrative processes, examining the use of incentives and ensuring coherent communications so that individuals leaving or who have left the regular forces are aware of the opportunities that exist in the reserves should they choose to enlist.

Veterans

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many former military personnel have been provided with grace and favour homes in the last 10 years; what the cost to the public purse was of providing each such home; and which Department funded them.

Mark Francois: holding answer 5 November 2012
	I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 29 October 2012, Official Report, column 32W, to the hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones).

NORTHERN IRELAND

Prison Service: Protection

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will review the home protection scheme for prison officers.

Michael Penning: We keep these schemes under constant review. The home protection scheme is in place to provide protective security measures to those in certain occupations who are assessed by the Security Service to be under substantial or severe threat. Prison officers fall within that range of occupations and will continue to be actively considered.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Catering

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has spent on refreshments since May 2010.

Gregory Barker: From May 2010 to the end of September 2012, the Department of Energy and Climate Change has spent £414,000 on refreshments for official meetings and engagements held with our stakeholders both here and overseas.

Electricity Generation: Scotland

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the total output of electricity in Scotland was from (a) coal, (b) gas and (c) nuclear generation from 1 January to 30 June 2012.

John Hayes: The table shows the generation of electricity (GWh) by fuel type in Scotland in 2010:
	
		
			 Fuel type Scotland UK total Scotland as a percentage of the UK total 
			 Coal 14,715 107,694 14 
			 Oil 1,213 4,860 25 
			 Gas 8,381 175,003 5 
			 Nuclear 16,381 70,323 23 
			 Thermal Renewables 299 5,358 6 
			 Hydro Natural Flow 3,266 3,603 91 
			 Hydro Pumped Storage 1,830 5,416 34 
			 Non-thermal renewables 3,825 8,872 43 
			 Total 49,908 381,129 13 
			 Source: Table 2, special feature article titled “Electricity generation and supply figures for Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England”, Energy Trends December 2011 http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/stats/publications/energy-trends/3917-trends-dec-2011.pdf 
		
	
	Generation statistics have been provided to answer this question because statistics on the supply of electricity are not available at this level of detail ie only available as a UK total.
	Statistics on the generation of electricity at this level of detail are not yet available for 2011 or 2012. These will become available in an annual article “Electricity generation and supply figures for Scotland, Wales. Northern Ireland and England”, which is published in the quarterly edition of Energy Trends. The 2011 statistics will be published in the December 2012 edition at 09:30 on Thursday 20 December 2012. The 2012 statistics will not be available until December 2013. These statistics can be accessed via the DECC website when published:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/publications/trends/trends.aspx

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to his contribution of 24 October 2012, Official Report, column 943, on energy market reform, by what date he expects (a) Ofgem to complete its retail market review and (b) Ofgem's proposals to be implemented.

John Hayes: Ofgem published detailed proposals for reform of the retail energy market on 26 October. The consultation is due to end on 21 December. Following this consultation Ofgem is under a statutory duty to consult on the detailed licence changes necessary to implement the proposals. Ofgem have proposed that all measures should be in place by winter 2013.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to his contribution of 24 October 2012, Official Report, column 940, on energy market reform, how many consumers switched gas or electricity supplier in quarter 2 of 2012.

John Hayes: In quarter 2 of 2012, there were a total of 791,000 switches of electricity supplier, and 570,000 switches of gas supplier in Great Britain. This data is published in table 2.7.1 of DECC's Quarterly Energy Prices Publication. The source data is provided by Ofgem, and is based on meter-point data.
	These numbers refer to the total number of switches, rather than the number of consumers who have switched (ie they may include some customers who have switched more than once). They also do not include switches to a different tariff with the same supplier.

Energy: Meters

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect of the roll-out of smart meters on people diagnosed with electromagnetic hypersensitivity; and whether he plans to make the installation of smart meters voluntary for such people.

John Hayes: The Health Protection Agency (HPA) provides advice to the Government and others on the health implications of radiofrequency electromagnetic magnetic fields (radio waves) from smart meters, as it does for a range of technologies commonly found in homes and businesses across the UK. The HPA has advised that the evidence to date suggests exposures to radio waves produced by smart meters do not pose a risk to health.
	Some people report real and unpleasant symptoms that they attribute to exposure radio waves. This topic has been rigorously investigated in recent years through research programmes funded by the Government and by academic bodies.
	In April 2012 the HPA's independent Advisory Group on Non-Ionising Radiation (AGNIR) published a comprehensive report on the health effects from radio waves. In relation to the evidence for sensitivity to radio waves in particular, AGNIR concluded there is accumulating evidence that radio wave exposures below guideline levels do not cause symptoms and cannot be detected by people, even those who consider themselves sensitive to radio waves. This conclusion does not belittle the importance of the symptoms that people experience, but it does suggest causes other than those directly related to radio waves should be considered.
	We recognise that there will be some consumers who will continue to have concerns about receiving a smart meter, including people with concerns about electro-sensitivity. As the programme develops, we will be considering further, together with the energy companies who will be responsible for the rollout, how best to respond to these individual concerns.
	Although smart meters will be rolled out as standard by 2019, there is no legal requirement for individuals to have one.

Insulation

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the recommendation contained in the Committee on Climate Change Annual Report and Accounts 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012, HC245, published in July 2012 on the need for a substantial increase in loft, cavity and solid wall insulation.

Gregory Barker: The Government strongly agree with the committee on the importance of effective insulation as a means of saving carbon. The new Green Deal and ECO will between them provide a mechanism to drive the delivery of loft, cavity and solid wall insulation, and we have recently announced details of a £45 million cash-back incentive scheme to encourage early uptake of these (and other) measures. There will be a particular focus through ECO on solid wall insulation and on "hard to treat" cavities—measures which have been delivered at a much lower rate in the past.

Macquarie Group

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many times staff of his Department have met representatives of the Macquarie Group in the latest period for which figures are available.

Gregory Barker: The Department does not routinely hold records of all meetings between its staff and stakeholder groups. On the basis of a search of records held across the Department, staff met with representatives of the Macquarie Group on four occasions in the last 12 months.

Nuclear Power: Emergencies

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how his Department's new National Strategic Framework has assisted the UK's capacity to plan for and respond to nuclear emergencies.

John Hayes: The National Strategic Framework is ensuring effective co-ordination in delivering continuous improvement of the UK's nuclear emergency preparedness arrangements, bringing national, local and devolved government, industry and the emergency services together in support of the recommendations in Dr Mike Weightman's post-Fukushima report.

Nuclear Power: Emergencies

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent progress has been made on the new UK-France framework on nuclear emergency planning; and if he will make a statement.

John Hayes: The bilateral nuclear planning and response framework was a deliverable of the energy communiqué agreed at the February 2012 UK-France summit There is currently a draft framework in place and both sides are working together to finalise the details. This framework will result in strengthened support and co-ordination between the UK and France in the event of a nuclear emergency in either country. Both Governments are working closely together to finalise and implement the framework over the coming year.
	The framework forms part of the UK's contribution to improving international co-ordination as part of the learning from Fukushima, and supports the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Action Plan for Safety which was agreed by members after the Fukushima accident. Both countries are IAEA members of the IAEA's Response and Assistance Network (RANET).
	Details on the outcomes from the UK-France summit in February can be found at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/news/pn12_012/pnl2_012.aspx

Renewable Energy

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with Ministers in the devolved Administrations on the contribution from each region of the UK to meeting renewable energy objectives.

John Hayes: holding answer 5 November 2012
	I have had no recent discussions with Ministers from the devolved Administrations. However, there are regular meetings at official level to co-ordinate efforts across the UK. The progress being made in the devolved Administrations will be an important feature in the update to the UK's Renewables Roadmap, which we expect to publish shortly.

Sickness Absence

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change for how many and what proportion of days, on average, staff of his Department at each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in each of the last five years.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was created in October 2008. Therefore there is no data available prior to that date.
	DECC collects and records data on its staff who are absent from work due to ill health on a regular basis. The data for the last four years, which shows the average working days lost per person, are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  6 month period ending March 2009 12 month period ending March 2010 12 month period ending March 2011 12 month period ending March 2012 
			  Total number of days lost Average working days lost (AWDL) Total number of days lost Average working days lost (AWDL) Total number of days lost Average working days lost (AWDL) Total number of days lost Average working days lost (AWDL) 
			 AA 1 0 14 5.4 0 0 0 0 
			 AO 502 6.4 481 6.5 561 7.3 575 7.4 
			 EO 507 6.4 699 7.1 816 7.2 958 7.5 
			 HEO 553 3.6 1,056 4.9 939 3.2 1,215 3.8 
			 SEO 218 2.6 504 5 608 4.5 604 3.6 
			 Grade 7 348 2 614 3 928 2.8 887 2.3 
			 Grade 6 208 2.5 273 3.4 353 2.4 327 1.8 
			 SCS 33 0.8 26 0.4 56 0.6 218 2.4 
			 Total number of days lost 2,370 — 3,667 — 4,261 — 4,784 — 
			 Average working days lost — 4.1 — 3.6 — 3.6— — 3

Tidal Power: River Severn

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the implications of the Strategic Environmental Topic Reports on his Department's website for the conclusions of the Severn Tidal Power Feasibility Study.

John Hayes: Assessments were made of all the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) topic reports produced at the end of the Severn Tidal Power Feasibility Study in October 2010. These were used to inform the final report and Government conclusions on the study. The SEA investigation was conducted under five broad themes to cover all environmental aspect of the Severn: Air and Climate Factors and Resources and Waste, Biodiversity, the Historic Environment and Landscape and Seascape, Physicochemical and Society and Economy.
	The summary conclusion from these reports was that the scale and impact of a Severn scheme would be very significant in an environmentally designated area. There was also significant uncertainty on how the regulatory framework would apply.
	The Severn Tidal Power Feasibility Study conclusions and summary report can be viewed at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/meeting_energy/wave_tidal/severn_tidal_power/severn_tidalpower.aspx

Wind Power

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the likely level of subsidy for (a) onshore and (b) offshore wind energy production in (i) 2012, (ii) 2015, (iii) 2020, (iv) 2025 and (v) 2030. [R]

John Hayes: Support for onshore wind under the Renewables Obligation (RO) in 2011-12 (based on ROCs issued) is estimated to be approximately £450 million. RO support for offshore wind in 2011-12 is estimated to be approximately £340 million.
	In the Impact Assessment supporting the Government response, to the RO Banding Review, total RO support costs in 2015-16 were projected to be £2.8 billion (in 2011-12 prices). The level of support for onshore and offshore wind will depend on future levels of deployment of these and other eligible technologies. In 2011-12, onshore wind accounted for approximately 30% of RO support costs (based on ROCs issued), while offshore wind accounted for approximately 25%.
	As part of the Electricity Market Reform, the Government will be setting Contracts for Difference (CfD) strike prices for onshore and offshore wind from 2014-15 to 2018-19 in the EMR delivery plan, to be published by Government, in 2013, subject to Royal Assent on the Energy Bill.
	The Department has not made an estimate of likely renewable energy subsidies in 2025 or 2030.

Wind Power

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the likely amount of energy produced which will be by (a) onshore and (b) offshore wind energy in (i) 2012, (ii) 2015, (iii) 2020, (iv) 2025 and (v) 2030. [R]

John Hayes: The impact assessment accompanying the Government response to the renewables obligation banding review, published in the summer, estimates annual generation over the period 2013/17. It divides this into capacity built before 31 March 2012 and new build during the banding review period supported through the renewables obligation. This information can be found on DECCs website and is copied in the following table for onshore and offshore wind:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/consultation/ro-banding/5945-renewables-obligation-government-response-impact-a.pdf
	
		
			 Modelled annual generation (GWh per year) 
			  Generation from capacity built by 31 March 2012 Generation from net new build under the RO during the 2013-17 banding review period: 
			 Onshore wind(1) 17,100 6,400 
			 Offshore wind (2)11,000 (3)1,600 
		
	
	
		
			 Total(4) 55,000 32,000 
			 (1) Onshore wind (>5MW) includes onshore wind <5MW in Northern Ireland. (2) For offshore wind this is generation from capacity built by 2013/14 as the band is already set for 2013/14. (3) For offshore wind this only includes generation from capacity build in 2014/15 and 2015/16. (4) Note ‘large-scale’ renewables are-defined as all UK renewable electricity except for <5MW AD, PV, hydro and wind in Great Britain. Other includes large scale PV. Bands for large scale PV will be subject to further consultation in the near future. Large scale PV costs and deployment are indicative at this stage. Source: Modelling by Pöyry consultants; results rounded to two significant figures. 
		
	
	The UK Renewable Energy Roadmap(1) published in October 2011 presents a central range of renewable generation that could make up the mix to meeting the UK’s 2020 renewable target of 24-32 TWh of onshore wind in 2020 and 33-58 TWh of offshore wind in 2020.
	The Department has not made an estimate of likely renewable generation post 2020.
	(1)http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/meeting-energy-demand/renewable-energy/2167-uk-renewable-energy-roadmap.pdf

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many written parliamentary questions to his Department received a substantive answer (a) within five working days, (b) between six and 10 working days and (c) after more than 10 working days in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Gregory Barker: The information is as follows:
	
		
			 Written parliamentary questions answered by DECC between 1 November 2011 and 31 October 2012 
			  Number Percentage 
			 Received a substantive answer within five working days 1,551 89 
			 Received a substantive answer between five and 10 days 180 10 
			 Received a substantive answer over 10 days 8 1 
			 Total 1,739 — 
		
	
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the committee at the end of the current session. Statistics relating to performance for the 2010-12 parliamentary session are available on the Parliament website as follows:
	http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/procedure/P35_Memorandum_Leader_of_the_House_ Monitoring_PQs.pdf

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many and what proportion of written parliamentary questions to his Department received holding responses in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Gregory Barker: Only named day written parliamentary questions receive holding replies if the answer is overdue. Of the named day questions answered from 1 November 2011 until 31 October 2012:
	597 (87%) were answered on the day;
	87 (13%) were answered late and received a holding reply.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the committee at the end of the current session. Statistics relating to performance for the 2010-12 parliamentary session are available on the Parliament website as follows:
	http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/procedure/P35_Memorandum_Leader_of_the_House_ Monitoring_PQs.pdf

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alternatives to Prison

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Government expects to bring forward legislative proposals for the community remedy.

Jeremy Browne: We will legislate on the community remedy at the earliest opportunity.

Alternatives to Prison

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the duration is of the community trigger pilot programmes;
	(2)  when the results of the community trigger pilot programmes will be published.

Jeremy Browne: The community trigger pilots started on 1 June in Manchester, West Lindsey and Boston, and Brighton and Hove. A pilot began in Richmond upon Thames on 17 August. The pilots will run during the pre-legislative scrutiny of the Government's antisocial behaviour reforms, and the pilot areas will be able to provide evidence based on their experiences.
	We will be assessing the pilots before introducing legislation.

Antisocial Behaviour

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what options, including restorative and punitive sanctions, she is considering making available to victims of antisocial behaviour.

Jeremy Browne: Under the proposed Community Remedy, it would be for police and crime commissioners to agree a menu of sanctions that reflected the views of victims and the public locally. That menu could then be used in dealing with low-level crime and antisocial behaviour out of court, with victims choosing the sanction they felt most appropriate.
	Better protecting victims is the focus of the Government's antisocial behaviour reforms, including the Community Trigger which will give people the power to require local agencies to deal with persistent problems where they have failed to do so.

Asylum

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the constituent of the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish, Mr Neville Malcolm, HO ref M1033831, will have his legacy case from 2001 decided by the Case Assurance and Audit Unit of the UK Border Agency.

Mark Harper: I will reply to the hon. Member separately providing details about this case.

Extradition

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the oral statement of 16 October 2012, Official Report, columns 164-6, on extradition, when she expects to bring forward legislative proposals to give effect to the Government's proposed reforms to extradition which require primary legislation.

Mark Harper: Further to the statement of 16 October 2012, Official Report, columns 164-66, by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), the Government intend to bring this legislation before the House as soon as parliamentary time allows, once a suitable legislative vehicle has been identified.

Illegal Immigrants

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal immigrants were detained in (a) the UK and (b) in Brighton, Kemptown constituency in each of the last three years.

Mark Harper: The Home Office releases statistics on detention, solely under Immigration Act powers on a quarterly basis, within Immigration Statistics which are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Science, Research and Statistics website at:
	http://homeoffice.gov.uk/science-research/research-statistics/migration/migration-statistics1/
	The published detention statistics for the past three years report that in the United Kingdom 28,001 individuals were detained in 2009, 25,904 in 2010 and 27,089 in 2011. These figures exclude immigration offenders held in police cells, prison establishments and short-term holding facilities and those held under dual detention powers (criminal/immigration). It is not possible to identify from the statistics which constituency they were resident in prior to their detention and to do so would require the examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.
	There are no immigration detention facilities within the Brighton, Kemptown constituency.

Illegal Immigrants

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate she has made of the number of illegal immigrants in the UK.

Mark Harper: holding answer 7 November 2012
	The clandestine nature of irregular migration and the lack of a common definition mean that it is difficult to produce estimates of the illegal migrant population in the UK.
	In the last decade there have been two estimates of the illegal migrant population in the UK, giving central estimates of 430,000 (range 310,000 to 570,000) in 2001 (Woodbridge, J. “Sizing the Unauthorised (Illegal) Migrant Population in the United Kingdom in 2001.” Online Report 29/05, Home Office, London, 2005) and 618,000 (range 417,000 to 863,000) in 2007 (Gordon I., K. Scanlon, T. Travers, and C. Whitehead. “Economic Impact on London and the UK of an Earned Regularisation of Irregular Migrants in the UK.” GLA Economics, Greater London Authority, London, 2009.).
	The 2012 European Migration Network report 'Practical Measures for Reducing Irregular Migration' (Toms and Thorpe, 2012)
	http://emn.intrasoft-intl.com/Downloads/download.do; jsessionid =BB91F016906F64A5AD8BD0C1D8BA1586?fileID=2909
	sets out the current UK evidence on the illegal migrant population.

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will arrange for the hon. Member for Walsall North to receive a reply to her letter of 1 October 2012 to the UK Border Agency regarding a constituent, CTS ref M15205/12.

Mark Harper: holding answer 5 November 2012
	The deputy chief executive of the UK Border Agency, David Wood, replied to the hon. Member on 1 November.

Veterans

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign and Commonwealth veterans who served in the Army, Navy or RAF in the last 10 years are facing deportation; and for what reasons.

Mark Harper: Service and work histories of people facing removal from the UK are held only at the level of co-ordinated paper case files or within the notes section of the UK Border Agency's Case Information Database (CID). This information is not aggregated in national reporting systems, which would mean that this question could be answered only through a disproportionately expensive manual case search to collate the data.

PRIME MINISTER

Macquarie Group

Simon Hughes: To ask the Prime Minister how many times (a) he and (b) his staff met representatives of the Macquarie Group in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Cameron: Details of my meetings with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis. Details can be accessed on the Cabinet Office website.

CABINET OFFICE

Catering

Diane Abbott: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how much his Department has spent on refreshments for 10 Downing street since May 2010;
	(2)  how much his Department has spent on refreshments for the Deputy Prime Minister's office since May 2010.

Francis Maude: The Prime Minister's Office and the Deputy Prime Minister's Office are integral parts of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested is not held centrally. However all expenditure on refreshments is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in "Managing Public Money" and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Civil Servants: Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 1 November 2012, Official Report, column 368W, on civil servants: Scotland, for which Government (a) Department and (b) agency in Scotland each of the civil servants works; and what the office location is of each.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated November 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2012, Official Report, column 368W, on civil servants: Scotland, for which Government (a) department and (b) agency in Scotland each of the civil servants works; and what the office location is of each. (127412)
	Estimates of regional Civil Service employment are published annually by the Office for National Statistics, with a survey reference date of 31 March. The table provides details of Civil Service employment for posts in Scotland; by department, agency and location as at 31 March 2012. Due to the size of the tables, they will be stored in the House of Commons library.

Government Departments: ICT

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent progress he has made on promoting open standards in government; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: holding answer 7 November 2012
	On 1 November, the Cabinet Office published the Open Standards Principles for software interoperability, data and document formats. Government bodies must comply with these principles in all IT procurements and projects, unless an exemption has been agreed. A copy of the Open Standards Principles has been placed in the Library of the House.
	We are also making progress on implementing open standards. The Government Digital Service has launched GOV.UK—a simpler, clearer, faster and common platform for Government's digital services, based on open standards. Another site, legislation.gov.uk—the online home of legislation—was designed around open standards and has allowed The National Archives to develop an entirely new operating model for revising legislation.
	Open standards will bring about a positive change to the way Government buys its IT and delivers services for citizens and businesses. Our Open Standards Principles will drive savings and innovation for both citizens and the Government.

Government Procurement Card

Bob Neill: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which (a) local authorities and (b) other local public bodies hold Government Procurement Cards.

Chloe Smith: Government Procurement Service manages the framework agreement for Government Procurement Cards (GPC). A list of local authorities and other local public bodies which hold GPCs will be placed in the Library of the House.

Meetings: Media

Ian Lavery: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which proprietors, editors and senior executives of (a) newspapers and (b) other media organisations he has met since 1 July 2012.

Francis Maude: Under this Government's transparency agenda we publish such information on departmental websites. An update covering the period in question will be published in due course.

Procurement

Michael Connarty: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what his policy is on how Government Departments should market test the services delivered by their executive agencies to ensure value for money.

Oliver Letwin: Market testing is a crucial part of commissioning out services. This is why extensive pre-market engagement is a crucial part of our procurement processes. Indeed it is the way we are delivering all but the most complex procurements in under 120 days through the new LEAN sourcing processes.
	More detail on LEAN sourcing can be found on
	http://gps.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/about-government-procurement-service/lean-capability/lean-sourcing

Public Services

Michael Connarty: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of progress in delivering the objectives outlined in his Open Services White Paper;
	(2)  with reference to the undertaking in the Open Public Services White Paper, which Departments have published progress reports setting out the steps that have been taken to open public services since April 2012.

Oliver Letwin: The Government published Open Public Services 2012 in April this year covering all relevant Departments. It is the most recent update on progress and can be found on:
	http://www.openpublicservices.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/

TREASURY

Balance of Trade

William Cash: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate how much of the UK's deficit on trade in goods in 2011 was accounted for by the public procurement trade in goods deficit, defined as the difference between UK public sector imports of goods from the rest of the EU and other EU member states' public sector imports of goods from the UK.

Sajid Javid: HM Revenue and Customs are responsible for the collection and publication of data on UK imports and exports. The trade statistics branch releases this information monthly as a National Statistic called the Overseas Trade Statistics. Their dedicated website is:
	www.uktradeinfo.com
	From the collected trade data however, it is not possible to answer this question.

Business: Loans

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that retail banks in which UK Financial Investments Ltd have a controlling stake lend to small- and medium-sized business in (a) Kettering, (b) Northamptonshire and (c) England.

Sajid Javid: As an engaged shareholder, UK Financial Investments Ltd (UKFI) works closely with the banks' management to assure itself of the banks' approach to strategy and to hold management rigorously to account for performance. However, UKFI's role is to manage the investment, not to manage the banks; the banks retains their own independent board and management team for strategic and operational decision-making. Within this overarching shareholder framework, management decisions are for the banks without interference from shareholders, including UKFI.
	The Government recognise that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are fundamental to the economic recovery. This is why the Government are taking action to help small businesses access the finance they need in order to grow.
	On 13 July 2012, the Government and Bank of England launched the Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS). The FLS will create strong incentives for banks to increase lending to UK households and businesses by lowering interest rates and increasing access to credit. As a result of the scheme, we have already seen a number of participating banks launch new and discounted SME loan products. As part of the scheme, the Bank of England will publish quarterly data for each group participating in the FLS including the amount borrowed from the Bank, the net quarterly flows of lending to UK households and businesses, and the stock of loans as at 30 June 2012.

Correspondence

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his Department's target for the timeliness with which correspondence to Ministers from members of the public is answered; and what assessment he has made of the his Department's performance against that target.

Sajid Javid: The Treasury's target for answering correspondence from members of the public is 15 working days. In 2012 to date, the Treasury has replied to 75% of correspondence from members of the public within 15 working days.

Excise Duties: Beer

David Hamilton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the amount of beer duty raised from (a) on-trade sales and (b) off-trade sales in each of the last 15 years for which figures are available.

Sajid Javid: The information is not available from HMRC given that data on revenue from beer duty is not broken down to the level required to identify the amount of beer duty raised from (a) on-trade sales and (b) off-trade sales. It is possible to identify the proportion of beer sales split between on-trade and off-trade from the 2011 British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) statistical handbook. This cites that in 2010 beer consumption was split: 51% cent on-trade and 49% off-trade.

Ford Motor Company: Turkey

John Denham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the effect on the UK balance of trade of the move of the production of Ford Transit vehicles to Turkey in each of the next five years.

Sajid Javid: It is not possible to identify the effect on the UK balance of trade of the move of the production of Ford Transit vehicles to Turkey in each of the next five years.

Individual Savings Accounts

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what revenue his Department has forgone as a result of (a) cash ISAs and (b) stocks and shares ISAs in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what information his Department holds on the total holdings of (a) cash ISAs and (b) stocks and shares ISAs in each of the last five years.

Sajid Javid: The following table provides the latest available information on the tax cost of ISAs (including former Personal Equity Plans). No distinction is made in the published estimates between the cash and stocks and shares tax cost.
	
		
			  £ billion 
			 2007-08 2.5 
			 2008-09 2.2 
			 2009-10 1.6 
		
	
	
		
			 2010-11 1.9 
			 2011-12 2.1 
		
	
	Information on the total holdings of ISAs (which had reached £391 billion at the end of 2011-12) can be found on the HMRC website in Tables 9.6 and 9.6a at the following address:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/isas.htm

Individual Savings Accounts: Tax Allowances

Liam Byrne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of tax relief on income from individual savings accounts in each year since 2000; and what estimate he has made of the likely costs in each of the next three years.

Sajid Javid: The following table provides the tax cost of individual savings accounts by financial year since 2000-01, including the most recent year for which published estimates are available. For consistency, estimates for 2000-01 to 2007-08 include the tax cost of personal equity plans which were absorbed into individual savings accounts from 2008-09.
	
		
			  £ billion 
			 2000-01 1.3 
			 2001-02 1.4 
			 2002-03 1.4 
			 2003-04 1.6 
			 2004-05 1.6 
			 2005-06 1.8 
			 2006-07 2.1 
			 2007-08 2.5 
			 2008-09 2.2 
			 2009-10 1.6 
			 2010-11 1.9 
			 2011-12 2.1

Pensions: Tax Allowances

Liam Byrne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of pension tax relief in each year since 2000; and what estimate he has made of the likely costs in each of the next three years.

Sajid Javid: Available estimates of the cost of pensions tax relief, covering the period 2001-02 to 2010-11, can be found in Table PEN6 on the HMRC website at the following address:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/pension-stats/pen6.xls
	Estimates for the next three years are not available.

Press: Subscriptions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which magazine, journal and newspaper subscriptions held by his Department have been cancelled since May 2010.

Sajid Javid: We do not hold records of subscriptions that have been cancelled in HMT since May 2010. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost and would probably be only a partial answer in any case as subscriptions were spread around different business areas and cost centres.

Tax Avoidance

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what processes are followed by (a) his Department and (b) HM Revenue and Customs when information is received from a member of the public in relation to a tax avoidance scheme;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of his Department's procedures for processing and investigating allegations of tax avoidance.

David Gauke: When HM Revenue and Customs receives information about tax avoidance, it will assess that information, carrying out further research where necessary. If the information relates to a new scheme, HMRC will assess the risk to the Exchequer in order (i) to advise Ministers with a view to the announcement of legislation, where appropriate, and/or (ii) to develop a strategy for an operational response.

Tax Avoidance

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many visits HM Revenue and Customs staff made to investigate and verify employers' tax status in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many staff of HM Revenue and Customs are available to investigate and verify employers' claims to be based offshore;
	(3)  how many staff of HM Revenue and Customs are available to investigate allegations of tax avoidance.

David Gauke: This Government are determined to tackle tax evasion of all kinds and ensure that the tax system operates fairly and efficiently for all. As part of the 2010 spending review settlement we announced that over £900 million would be made available to HMRC to step up their activity in tackling tax loss. This includes putting extra resource into tackling both avoidance and evasion, including off shore tax evasion. This reinvestment is funding a range of measures which will enable HMRC to bring in around £7 billion each year by 2014-15 in additional revenues.
	The information requested is not available in this format. HM Revenue and Customs compliance activity—from policy making, through support and education, to audits and investigations—covers all aspects of compliance behaviour from error through to organised criminal attack. HMRC targets its compliance activity based on risk rather than by direct reference to the legal entity. Therefore, this information could be collated only at disproportionate cost.
	Within HMRC compliance work is primarily carried out by staff in the Enforcement and Compliance (E&C) line of business. HMRC take a risk based approach to compliance activity and so a breakdown of the number of E&C officers available to investigate and verify employer's tax status or allegations of tax avoidance is available only at a disproportionate cost.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: South West

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress he has made on reducing red tape for the farming industry in the South West.

David Heath: The independent Farming Regulation Task Force reported to Government in May 2011 and recommended over 200 ways of reducing regulatory burdens on farmers and food processors. The Government published their full response to the task force on 21 February this year:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/food-farm/farm-manage/farm-regulation/
	The Government's response consisted of 137 separate commitments to take action to reduce regulatory burdens on farmers. We have established an implementation group chaired by Richard Macdonald to oversee progress in meeting our commitments.
	Good progress is being made to meet priority commitments which include reducing the burden of on-farm inspections and paperwork, and working in closer partnership with representatives of the farming industry to develop and implement policies.

Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency conducts supervised loadings of live animals onto lorries.

David Heath: Supervised loadings are carried out by AHVLA inspectors at the point of loading of the vehicle in accordance with the instructions and inspection checklist within the AHVLA Operations Manual.
	The checks undertaken by AHVLA include consignment details, transporter/driver details, journey details and a separate checklist of 33 questions on the suitability of the vehicle and the welfare of the animals being transported. Any non-compliances will be recorded and the necessary action taken by AHVLA inspectors.

Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency control posts are monitored and regulated.

David Heath: AHVLA do not operate any Control Posts. However, Council Regulation EC 1255/97 establishes the criteria for approving Control Posts as well as setting out the inspection regime necessary to enable the continued approval of these facilities. AHVLA inspectors approve new Control Posts and are responsible for the twice yearly unannounced inspections of all existing Control Posts to ascertain that the requirements for approval continue to be fulfilled.

Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the cost of supervised loadings are borne by the haulier.

David Heath: AHVLA undertakes supervised loadings in accordance with Council Regulation 1/2005, which only provides for costs to be recovered, where breaches of the Regulation are identified and the authority is required to take action to safeguard the welfare of the animals.

Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratory Agency undertakes checks on vehicles' air ventilation and watering systems to ensure that they are functioning before live animals are transported to overseas markets.

David Heath: Under normal circumstances, AHVLA undertakes risk based checks on a proportion of vehicles used to transport live animals at various stages of a journey. These checks include ensuring that the ventilation and watering systems, where required are fully functioning. In exceptional circumstances, for example where a new or revised export operation is being established, AHVLA will increase the percentage of checks to 100%, until they are satisfied that the risks involved merit a more normal risk-based percentage of inspections.

Forests

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what his Department's budget for forestry research was in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and how much he has allocated for that budget in each year of the current spending review period;
	(2)  what his Department's budget for plant health research was in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and how much he has allocated for that budget in each year of the current spending review period.

David Heath: holding answer 2 November 2012
	DEFRA funding for forestry research and plant health research is set out in the table. Against a background of efficiencies being made in base budgets for Forest Research and FERA, in which frontline expenditure has been protected, the Government has recognised the importance of this area by making available an additional £8 million to fund the Tree Health and Biosecurity Action Plan over the next four years. The THBAP funding covers both tree and plant health research. This investment has leveraged at least a further £4 million in additional funding from Research Councils, which is not reflected in the spending totals listed.
	The figures for 2014-15 are provisional planning assumptions. Ministers are currently exploring what can be done to strengthen further the resources in this area.
	
		
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 
			 Tree Health Action Plan 0 0 2 2 2 2 
			 FC Forest Research 11 10.6 9.9 8.9 8.2 — 
		
	
	
		
			 FC Plant Research 1.4 1.7 2 2.3 2.1 — 
			 Fera Plant 0.667 2 1.65 1.45 1.285 — 
			 Total 13.067 14.3 15.55 14.65 13.585 —

Forests

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research projects on the Public Forest Estate have been funded by his Department since May 2010; and what proportion of this funding has been spent on researching the benefits of commercial forestry.

David Heath: Forest Research, an Agency of the Forestry Commission, carries out a wide range of projects of benefit to all aspects of forestry, including commercial forestry. It carries out these projects in a range of locations, including on the public forest estate. The cross cutting nature of its research work means that a breakdown of which projects have been carried out in full, or in part, on the public forest estate in connection to the benefits of commercial forestry is not recorded centrally. Details of the Forest Research's wide ranging activities can be found on its website at:
	www.forestry.gov.uk/fr/research

Gangmasters Licensing Authority

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority; and if he will make a statement.

David Heath: The Gangmasters Licensing Authority's (GLA) effectiveness and efficiency is measured by its performance against targets. The GLA's Annual Report and Accounts for 2011-12 (ISBN: 9780102979756) provide more information.
	The GLA was considered under the employment theme of the Government's Red Tape Challenge and the Ministerial Star Chamber has endorsed the need for the GLA to enforce protections for vulnerable workers, subject to better targeting of non-compliant operators and reducing burdens on the compliant. The GLA will continue to be monitored under the Government's ongoing reviews of public bodies and enforcement agencies.

Gangmasters Licensing Authority

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the job description, experience, specifications and appointments process are for the chief executive of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority; and if he will make a statement.

David Heath: The Gangmasters (Licensing Authority) Regulations 2005 set down that the appointment of the chief executive is the responsibility of the GLA board and is made with the agreement of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
	An open competition for the post of chief executive has recently been carried out. The job description and person specification for the role is set out in detail in the job information pack which I have arranged to be placed in the Library of the House. This document was made available to all applicants during the recent recruitment exercise.
	A new chief executive officer will take up post in January 2013.

Macquarie Infrastructure Group

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many times staff of his Department have met representatives of the Macquarie Group in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the subject was of each meeting.

Richard Benyon: Neither the permanent secretary nor current directors-general of core DEFRA have met representatives of the Macquarie Group since April 2012. Information about other staff or relating to the period before April 2012 would incur disproportionate cost.

Plants: EU Law

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what amendments he is intending to propose to the European plant health regime.

David Heath: holding answer 7 November 2012
	The UK was instrumental in securing a review of the EU plant health regime which has remained largely unchanged since its introduction at the start of the Single Market. In partnership with key stakeholders the UK has been active in influencing the Commission's approach with key objectives being:
	Faster decision making as plant health risks change and new pests arrive.
	Better risk targeting and a shift of inspection effort from plant produce to plants and propagating material (including addressing threats from new and emerging trades).
	More co-operation between plant health inspectorates across the EU.
	The Commission's formal proposals for a new plant health law are expected early next year.

Oysters: Colchester

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to announce his Department's decision on protected geographic indication (PGI) status for the Colchester oyster; on what date the application for PGI status was made; and if he will make a statement.

David Heath: The application to register the Colchester Native Oyster as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) was received in 2005. It was then the subject of a consultation in order to allow interested parties the opportunity to object to the application. A number of objections were received during the consultation process.
	Officials subsequently met with representatives of the applicant group to discuss the objections and outstanding points relating to the product specification for the application. Following on from this, further information relating to the geographical area and other aspects of the application was sought from the applicant group which, despite reminders from officials, was not forthcoming.
	Therefore, it has not been possible to complete our assessment of the validity of the application for PGI status for the Colchester Native Oyster. The scheme is a voluntary one and so it is for the producers to decide whether they wish to pursue the application. Should they wish to do this then officials would be happy to meet with them to discuss the outstanding points which need to be resolved. This should then enable the application to be completed and a decision to be taken on its eligibility.

Turtles: Cayman Islands

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the Cayman Islands Government about the future viability of the Cayman Turtle Farm following its assessed risk-weight in the Framework for Fiscal Responsibility; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA has had no discussions with the Cayman Islands Government about the future viability of the Cayman Turtle Farm. This is a matter for the Cayman Islands Government.

Turtles: Cayman Islands

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has made an assessment of the competence of the team managing the Cayman Turtle Farm; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: This Department has made no assessment of the competence of staff managing the Cayman Turtle Farm. Management of the farm is a matter for the Cayman Islands Government.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Construction: Industrial Health and Safety

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what checks he plans to put in place to ensure that building work allowed under his proposed changes to permitted development rights is carried out in accordance with rules on construction site safety and noise;
	(2)  what consideration he has given to introducing protections for the amenity of neighbours as part of his proposed changes to permitted development rights.

Nicholas Boles: My Department will be publishing a consultation document setting out full details of our proposals to extend permitted development rights for homeowners and businesses shortly. It is intended that existing safeguards to ensure the amenity of neighbouring properties would remain, and protection under other regimes such as building regulations and the Party Wall Act would still apply. Councils' environmental health powers, such as over noise nuisance, will also be unaffected.

Council Tax

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 19 October 2012, Official Report, column 452W, on local government finance, whether the council tax freeze grant for 2013-14 will be funded (a) from an additional allocation of money from the Exchequer to his Department, (b) from the Local Government Finance Settlement for that year or (c) from another source.

Brandon Lewis: The Government's press notice of 8 October sets out the details of the scheme:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/press_89_12.htm

Growth and Infrastructure Bill

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to his contribution of 5 November 2012, where in clause 7 of the Growth and Infrastructure Bill it states that the provisions of the clause exclusively relate to broadband infrastructure.

Nicholas Boles: As Ministers stated during the 2nd Reading debate on 5 November 2012, Official Report, columns 599 and 691, the provisions in the Bill relate to facilitating the provision of broadband infrastructure through street cabinets and telegraph poles.
	The provisions in clause 7 of the Bill amend the electronic communications code under the Communications Act 2003. Those sections on the electronic communications code are phrased in a technology-neutral way, as technological neutrality is a fundamental principle of the European regulatory framework for communications, to ensure effective and fair competition in the Single Market. However, the practical and intended effect of the clause 7 changes will be to make it easier to provide fixed broadband in rural areas.
	As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State explained in his speech, in the 1980s, telecommunications deregulation opened up the market to satellite television. We want to do the same for 21st century broadband infrastructure, and tackle the ‘digital divide’ that is socially and economically harmful to rural Britain.
	For the avoidance of doubt, clause 7 of the Growth Bill makes no change to the planning regime for mobile phone masts, which governs their location and siting. Planning is a separate consent regime from the electronic communications code, and planning is governed by the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, by associated secondary legislation through the General Permitted Development Order 2005 and by planning policy guidance in the National Planning Policy Framework.

Meetings: Media

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which proprietors, editors and senior executives of (a) newspapers and (b) other media organisations he has met since 1 July 2012.

Brandon Lewis: Details of ministerial meetings with newspaper and other media proprietors, editors and senior executives, are published on a quarterly basis. Details of meetings for the period from July to September 2012 will be published in due course.

National Parks

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consultation he has with National Parks Authorities on communications equipment and planning prior to the publication of the Growth and Infrastructure Bill.

Nicholas Boles: This Department has regular engagement with National Park Authorities on matters of mutual interest, such as planning policy, as do the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. We will continue to engage with National Park Authorities and local authorities on the implementation of the broadband support package announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on 7 September.

Planning Permission

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the resources that will be required by the Planning Inspectorate to deal with responsibilities set out in the Growth and Infrastructure Bill in respect of (a) the extension of the 2008 Planning Act Major Infrastructure Regime, (b) review or removal of affordable housing requirements within section 106 agreements and (c) the designation and de-designation of failing local authorities.

Nicholas Boles: Detailed policy development for the Growth and Infrastructure Bill is being worked on by DCLG. Full details of the procedures the Planning Inspectorate will undertake to carry out its responsibilities under the Bill are currently being worked on by the inspectorate to ensure that developing policy is complied with. Final resource estimates will be produced when policy is finalised.

Planning: Hackney

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what advice he received from (a) his officials and (b) the Planning Inspectorate before naming Hackney as the worst planning authority.

Nicholas Boles: I refer the right hon. Member to the written ministerial correction made on 6 November 2012, Official Report, column 5MC.
	More broadly, the Government intends to consult shortly on its proposed approach to working with the very worst performing local planning authorities to improve the service they offer to applicants and local residents. This will include consulting on the precise criteria to use when identifying the worst performers, as well as taking into account locally-agreed Planning Performance Agreements.
	Planning is an administrative process involving quasi-judicial decisions, and it is unfair for state bodies to fail to follow minimum standards of due process when regulating and restricting private property rights.

Planning: Hackney

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what basis he determined that Hackney is the worst planning authority.

Nicholas Boles: I refer the right hon. Member to the written ministerial correction made on 6 November 2012, Official Report, column 5MC.
	The example cited should have been the London borough of Haringey not the London borough of Hackney; this was a simple misreading, and Ministers would like to apologise to Hackney for that oversight.
	Notwithstanding, Haringey has the worst performance for deciding major planning applications in England over the last two years (March 2010 to March 2012), with only 17% of major applications determined on time. This is one such metric that Ministers will be considering as part of the consultation process referred to in the Second Reading debate.

Sickness Absence

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for how many and what proportion of days, on average, staff of his Department at each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: Average working days lost due to sickness absence are calculated quarterly in line with Cabinet Office instructions.
	For the 12 months ending 30 June 2012, the Department for Communities and Local Government had an average working days lost figure of 6.3 which is below the civil service average.
	The average working days lost figures for the 12 month period ending 31 March, as submitted to Cabinet Office, split by civil service grade for each of the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			 Number 
			 Civil service grade March 2008 March 2009 March 2010 March 2011 March 2012 
			 Administrative Grades 10.1 8.0 12.5 14.8 12.1 
		
	
	
		
			 Executive Officer 8.9 7.8 6.8 9.1 9.3 
			 Higher Executive Officer 5.4 4.7 4.2 5.9 6.5 
			 Senior Executive Officer 6.0 5.1 5.1 5.6 6.2 
			 Grade 7 3.2 4.1 3.1 3.9 4.1 
			 Grade 6 0.9 1.6 1.7 3.4 2.0 
			 Senior Civil Service 1.7 2.1 1.0 3.3 2.9 
			 Overall 5.3 5.3 4.9 6.4 6.7 
		
	
	The proportion of total days lost by civil service grade at each of these periods is as follows:
	
		
			  
			 Percentage 
			 Civil service grade March 2008 March 2009 March 2010 March 2011 March 2012 
			 Administrative Grades 25 22 25 22 28 
			 Executive Officer 28 27 21 21 22 
			 Higher Executive Officer 22 21 21 23 22 
			 Senior Executive Officer 11 11 14 13 12 
			 Grade 7 9 13 15 15 12 
			 Grade 6 1 2 2 3 3 
			 Senior Civil Service 3 4 1 3 2 
			 Overall 100 100 100 100 100 
			 Note: The proportions above have been rounded to the nearest whole number, therefore they may not add up to exactly 100%. 
		
	
	The Department is committed to the wellbeing of its staff and offers a number of services to assist in minimising staff absences:
	A self-test stress indicator tool for line managers, to help them identify the skills they need to tackle workplace stress in their team, has been developed by the Health and Safety Executive, in association with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and Investors in People.
	Intranet information pages to inform staff on ways in which they can actively seek to maximise their physical and mental health.
	Access to a 24 hour Employee Assistance helpline which offers advice and support for all staff to deal with sick absence.
	We are also finalising and, by the end of the year, will have introduced a comprehensive policy for managing long term sickness absence which we consider will significantly improve the management and resolution of such cases.

Slovak Roma

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what statistics he (a) holds and (b) has submitted to the European Commission on the number and distribution of Slovak Roma in England; and what discussions the Government has had with the European Commission in relation to future budgetary requirements to support dealing with the challenge of, and funding programmes related to, the incidence of Slovak Roma in the English regions.

Don Foster: The Department for Communities and Local Government holds no statistics on the numbers of Slovak Roma, or Roma generally, in England. The Government has not held any specific discussions with the European Commission on budgetary requirements to support the integration of Roma in England. However, the UK is playing an active role in discussions at EU level with the European Commission and other member states on issues relating to Roma integration in the European Union, including general funding pressures.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Arms Trade Treaty

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress he has made on negotiations at the UN General Assembly on an Arms Trade Treaty; what the Government's objectives for the conference in March 2013 will be on the content and signatories of the Treaty; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The UK is committed to securing a robust and effective Arms Trade Treaty that enjoys the support of the widest possible range of states, and to continuing its leading role in the UN process. The UK co-authored a UN Resolution that sets the timing and modalities for a further conference to finalise work on the Treaty in March 2013. Having been passed by a vote at the UN's First Committee on 7 November, it will be considered by the UN General Assembly later this year.
	Discussions are continuing and it is therefore not appropriate for me to elaborate on the UK's negotiating positions ahead of a possible conference next year. 'We will continue to work with the international community, civil society and the UK defence industry to secure a high standard Treaty with the broad support of the UN Membership.

Bahrain

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to his Bahraini counterpart on the right to freedom of assembly and peaceful expression; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect on human rights of the Bahrain government's ban on gatherings.

Alistair Burt: I issued a statement on behalf of the UK condemning the Bahraini Government's ban on public demonstrations. We understand the Bahraini Government's concerns about maintaining law and order, especially when faced with increasingly violent protests, but a blanket ban of this nature is excessive. Our ambassador in Manama has regular discussions with the Bahraini Government and raises a wide range of issues, including human rights and civil liberties, such as the right to peaceful protest.

British Council

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the British Council's budget for youth volunteering was in each of the last five years.

Hugo Swire: The British Council is a charity and executive non-departmental public body and has provided the following information.
	The British Council's work in English, education and society and the arts around the world encompasses an array of programmes many of which include an element of youth volunteering as part of their broader objectives. Two youth volunteering projects the British Council have been engaged with in the past five years are the Global Xchange and the EU-funded Youth in Action programme.
	Global Xchange was a seven-year youth volunteering programme run in partnership by the British Council and Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) from 2005-12. The Global Xchange programme came to an end in March 2012. Data for the British Council's contribution to the Global Xchange budget for the period 2007-08 to 2011-12 is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Budget (£) 
			 2007-08 740,579 
			 2008-09 1,660,152 
			 2009-10 4,097,116 
			 2010-11 1,883,438 
			 2011-12 162,295 
		
	
	The British Council manages the European Union funded Youth in Action programme for young people from the UK on behalf of the Department for Education. Youth in Action includes the European Voluntary Service (EVS). Data for the EVS budget for the period 2007 to 2011 is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Budget (€) 
			 2007 2,695,635 
			 2008 2,607,624 
		
	
	
		
			 2009 2,710,799 
			 2010 2,942,867 
			 2011 2,536,331 
		
	
	The International Citizen Service (ICS) is a new partnership between the Department for International Development and the VSO that builds upon the success of Global Xchange. Further information on ICS is available on the VSO website:
	http://www.vso.org.uk/partnerships/dfid/ics.asp

British Indian Ocean Territory

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 30 October 2012, Official Report, columns 174-5W, on British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), whether the five Diplomatic Service officers who work in his Department and form the BIOT Administration are subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

Mark Simmonds: The five officers who work in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and who also form part of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) Government are not all Diplomatic Service Officers. One is a Home Civil Service Officer.
	Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIRs). specific individuals are not subject to the FOIA or EIRs. The FOIA and EIRs apply to public authorities.
	The FCO is a public authority for the purposes of the FOIA and EIRs. As such, information held by the FCO is subject to the FOIA and EIRs. The Overseas Territories of the UK are constitutionally separate to the UK. They are not subject to the FOIA or the EIRs. nor are the Governments of the Overseas Territories public authorities for the purposes of the FOIA or EIRs. As such, information held by the BIOT Government is not subject to the FOIA and EIRs.

Cayman Islands

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any provisions have been placed on any money given or loaned to the Cayman Islands in the last five years; and whether there were any projects or facilities that were specifically included or excluded in these provisions.

Mark Simmonds: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has funded a range of specific projects in the Cayman Islands in the past five years to support our criminal justice strategy, promote good governance and protect the Islands’ environmental biodiversity. Political conditionality has not been attached to these projects. The FCO has not lent money or provided aid to the Cayman Islands Government.
	Full details of the projects supported can be found on our website at:
	www.fco.gov.uk/en/publications-and-documents/freedom-of-information/released-documents/releases-2012

Cayman Islands

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the competence of the team managing the Cayman Turtle Farm; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has made no assessment of the competence of staff managing the Cayman Turtle Farm. Management of the farm is a matter for the Cayman Islands Government.
	We are aware that the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) has conducted an investigation into the Turtle Farm, and that it has recently made its findings public. The British Government place great importance on conserving the biodiversity of the Overseas Territories and takes seriously reports of animal cruelty throughout the world. We understand the farm has carried out a review of its operations and found no basis for WSPA's allegations. The farm itself has ordered that an independent assessment take place in December. We encourage WSPA, the management of the farm and the Cayman Islands Government to continue to engage constructively.

Falkland Islands

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what involvement his Department will have with the independence referendum to be held in the Falkland Islands in 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: The British Government unreservedly supports the decision by the Falkland Islands Government to hold a referendum on whether or not they wish the Islands to retain their current political status as a UK Overseas Territory. The organisation and execution of the referendum is a matter for the Falkland Islands Government, though the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) stands ready to give advice and assistance in line with HMG's wider constitutional responsibilities. The FCO will also support the Falkland Islanders in communicating the result of the referendum to their neighbours in the region and to encourage the international community to recognise and respect the Islanders' decision and their rights to self determination.

Gambia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials in his Department are currently stationed in the Gambia.

Mark Simmonds: Around 30 staff work at our high commission in Banjul. This includes UK-based civil servants and staff employed locally.

Iran

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times Ministers in his Department have made official visits to Iran in the last 30 years.

Alistair Burt: There have been a number of ministerial visits to Iran over the last 30 years including seven from Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers. The last visit by a UK Minister was in 2005. There have been no ministerial visits since then because of the state of the bilateral relationship and Iran's refusal to address the international community's concerns about its nuclear programme.

Kashmir

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in implementing UN Security Council Resolution 47 concerning the dispute over the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Alistair Burt: The long-standing position of the UK is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution to the situation in Kashmir, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people. We welcome the renewed engagement between India and Pakistan and the constructive steps taken to improve the bilateral relationship. This is a positive development for regional security and prosperity. However, the scope and pace of this dialogue is for them both to agree so that they can build confidence to enable discussion on a range of issues.

Mali

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consular assistance he is providing for UK nationals in Mali.

Mark Simmonds: Our ability to deliver full consular service remains severely reduced. We advise against all travel to Mali. Any British nationals who choose to remain in Mali or visit against our advice should contact the British embassy in Dakar if they require emergency consular assistance.

Mali

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK citizens have requested consular assistance in Mali in the last three months.

Mark Simmonds: One UK citizen has requested consular assistance in Mali in the last three months.

Mali

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the conflict in northern Mali; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: Our ambassador in Bamako reports regularly on the developing situation in Mali. The EU is also providing reporting and analysis for discussion between member states. We are also in regular contact with other international partners, including the US, African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to share information and analysis.
	Although the UK remains concerned about the situation in Mali, we welcome the recent efforts of the UN, AU, EU and ECOWAS to address the situation. The meeting of the Support and Follow-up Group on the Crisis in Mali on 19 October, attended by the Prime Minister's envoy and special representative to the Sahel, helped to provide a framework of action for the Malian authorities to restore Mali's territorial integrity, produce a legitimate government, address the humanitarian situation and provide a credible mediation process.

Maqbool Butt

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Indian government on the return of the mortal remains of Maqbool Butt to his family.

Alistair Burt: We have made no representations to the Indian government on this issue. Any decision about the transfer of Mr Maqbool Butt's remains is for the Indian authorities to discuss with Mr Butt's family.

Syria

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on seeking a peaceful resolution to the situation in Syria.

Alistair Burt: The Prime Minister discussed the situation in Syria on his recent trip to the middle east. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and I both discuss Syria on a regular basis with our international counterparts. The Secretary of State will attend the EU-Arab League Foreign Ministers meeting on 13 November where Syria will be a major topic of discussion and I have recently returned from Qatar where I had meetings with opposition groups and international partners attending the Doha conference. In our contacts we discuss the need for a peaceful end to the violence and progress on political transition.

Vietnam

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the trial and conviction of Tran Vu Anh Binh and Vo Minh Tri in Vietnam; and if he will make representations to the government of Vietnam on the right to freedom of expression.

Hugo Swire: Through the EU we continue to engage with the Vietnamese authorities on a list of persons and detainees of concern, which includes Tran Vu Anh Binh and Vo Minh Tri, to seek information about the welfare of the detainees and to request their immediate release. The EU Delegation in Vietnam attended the trial of Tran Vu Anh Binh and Vo Minh Tri on behalf of member states. Our ambassador also raises human rights issues with the Vietnamese Government bilaterally and human rights are integral to our Strategic Partnership with Vietnam.

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many written parliamentary questions to his Department received a substantive answer (a) within five working days, (b) between six and 10 working days and (c) after more than 10 working days in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) received 1,125 questions in the House of Commons for ordinary written answer from 1 November 2011 to 30 September 2012. A total of 1,089 (96.8%) of these were answered within five working days; 28 were answered between six and 10 working days (2.5%); eight (0.7%) were answered after 10 working days.
	For named day PQs, the FCO received 358 PQs in this period, all of which were answered within five working days.
	In the House of Lords in the same period, the FCO received 980 written questions. The FCO answered 160 (16.3%) of these within five working days; 744 (75.9%) were answered between six and 10 working days; 76 (7.8%) were answered after 10 working
	days.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the committee at the end of the current session. Statistics relating to performance for the 2010-12 parliamentary session are available on the Parliament website as follows:
	http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/procedure/P35_Memorandum_Leader_of_the_House_ Monitoring_PQs.pdf

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and what proportion of written parliamentary questions to his Department received holding responses in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

David Lidington: A holding response is sent to a named day parliamentary question when it is not possible to answer on the day specified by the MP. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office received 358 named day parliamentary questions between 1 November 2011 and 30 September 2012, of which six (1.7%) received holding responses.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the committee at the end of the current session. Statistics relating to performance for the 2010-12 parliamentary session are available on the Parliament website as follows:
	http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/procedure/P35_Memorandum_Leader_of_the_House_ Monitoring_PQs.pdf

JUSTICE

Driving Offences

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many drivers have been disqualified from driving in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many disqualified drivers have been ordered to retake their driving test in each of the last 10 years; and for what offences such retests were ordered.

Jeremy Wright: The number of drivers disqualified from driving and the number of those disqualified drivers ordered to retake their driving test, by offence group, at all courts in England and Wales, from 2002 to 2011, can be viewed in the following table:
	
		
			 Number of drivers disqualified from driving at all courts and number disqualified who are ordered to retake their driving test, by offence group, in England and Wales, 2002-11(1,)()(2) 
			 Year Offence group Total disqualifications imposed Disqualifications in which driving test requirement imposed(3) 
			 2002 Accident offences 833 16 
			  Careless driving 1,742 153 
			  Causing death or bodily harm 256 119 
			  Dangerous driving 4,318 2,997 
			  Driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs 79,848 601 
			  Driving licence related offences 16,368 264 
			  Fraud, forgery etc. associated with vehicle or driver records 6 1 
			  Lighting offences 2 1 
			  Load offences 4 — 
			  Miscellaneous motoring offences 92 1 
			  Motorway offences (other than speeding) 194 1 
			  Neglect of pedestrian rights 20 2 
			  Neglect of traffic directions 187 4 
			  Obstruction, waiting and parking offences 4 — 
			  Offences peculiar to motor cycles 1 — 
			  Speed limit offences 9,316 16 
			  Unauthorised taking or theft of motor vehicle 3,906 536 
			  Vehicle insurance offences 46,468 154 
			  Vehicle or part in dangerous or defective condition 86 1 
			  Vehicle registration and excise licence offences 1 1 
			  Vehicle test offences 24 1 
			  Total persons 163,676 4,869 
			     
			 2003 Accident offences 882 24 
			  Careless driving 1,705 158 
			  Causing death or bodily harm 302 281 
			  Dangerous driving 5,212 5,157 
			  Driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs 81,476 506 
			  Driving licence related offences 19,191 301 
			  Fraud, forgery etc. associated with vehicle or driver records 4 — 
			  Lighting offences 1 — 
			  Load offences 3 — 
			  Miscellaneous motoring offences 164 9 
			  Motorway offences (other than speeding) 18 — 
			  Neglect of pedestrian rights 21 — 
			  Neglect of traffic directions 226 4 
			  Obstruction, waiting and parking offences 2 — 
			  Speed limit offences 10,297 23 
			  Unauthorised taking or theft of motor vehicle 3,378 607 
			  Vehicle insurance offences 47,095 153 
			  Vehicle or part in dangerous or defective condition 78 1 
			  Vehicle registration and excise licence offences 2 — 
			  Vehicle test offences 15 — 
			  Total persons 170,072 7,224 
			     
			 2004 Accident offences 930 25 
			  Careless driving 1,923 165 
			  Causing death or bodily harm 318 308 
			  Dangerous driving 5,209 5,202 
		
	
	
		
			  Driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs 85,315 501 
			  Driving licence related offences 19,829 334 
			  Fraud, forgery etc. associated with vehicle or driver records 12 — 
			  Load offences 4 — 
			  Miscellaneous motoring offences 216 3 
			  Motorway offences (other than speeding) 14 — 
			  Neglect of pedestrian rights 38 — 
			  Neglect of traffic directions 345 8 
			  Obstruction, waiting and parking offences 2 — 
			  Offences peculiar to motor cycles 1 — 
			  Speed limit offences 10,044 17 
			  Unauthorised taking or theft of motor vehicle 3,011 534 
			  Vehicle insurance offences 44,378 226 
			  Vehicle or part in dangerous or defective condition 126 3 
			  Vehicle test offences 12 — 
			  Total persons 171,727 7,326 
			     
			 2005 Accident offences 890 23 
			  Careless driving 1,866 124 
			  Causing death or bodily harm 335 323 
			  Dangerous driving 4,433 4,432 
			  Driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs 82,099 509 
			  Driving licence related offences 17,580 374 
			  Fraud, forgery etc. associated with vehicle or driver records 16 5 
			  Lighting offences 1 — 
			  Load offences 3 1 
			  Miscellaneous motoring offences 292 6 
			  Motorway offences (other than speeding) 28 1 
			  Neglect of pedestrian rights 31 — 
			  Neglect of traffic directions 589 11 
			  Obstruction, waiting and parking offences 8 1 
			  Speed limit offences 10,344 27 
			  Unauthorised taking or theft of motor vehicle 2,547 524 
			  Vehicle insurance offences 37,240 280 
			  Vehicle or part in dangerous or defective condition 127 4 
			  Vehicle registration and excise licence offences 2 — 
			  Vehicle test offences 9 — 
			  Work record and employment offences 1 — 
			  Total persons 158,441 6,645 
			     
			 2006 Accident offences 778 21 
			  Careless driving 1,852 147 
			  Causing death or bodily harm 299 289 
			  Dangerous driving 4,038 4,035 
			  Driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs 82,861 577 
			  Driving licence related offences 15,573 274 
			  Fraud, forgery etc. associated with vehicle or driver records 26 4 
			  Lighting offences 1 — 
			  Load offences 6 1 
			  Miscellaneous motoring offences 305 6 
			  Motorway offences (other than speeding) 24 — 
			  Neglect of pedestrian rights 27 — 
		
	
	
		
			  Neglect of traffic directions 946 15 
			  Obstruction, waiting and parking offences 2 1 
			  Speed limit offences 9,295 52 
			  Unauthorised taking or theft of motor vehicle 2,443 447 
			  Vehicle insurance offences 32,024 258 
			  Vehicle or part in dangerous or defective condition 134 3 
			  Vehicle registration and excise licence offences 4 — 
			  Vehicle test offences 11 — 
			  Total persons 150,649 6,130 
			     
			 2007 Accident offences 788 15 
			  Careless driving 2,057 168 
			  Causing death or bodily harm 315 300 
			  Dangerous driving 3,960 3,958 
			  Driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs 79,807 460 
			  Driving licence related offences 12,941 219 
			  Fraud, forgery etc. associated with vehicle or driver records 14 1 
			  Load offences 17 1 
			  Miscellaneous motoring offences 392 9 
			  Motorway offences (other than speeding) 25 — 
			  Neglect of pedestrian rights 33 — 
			  Neglect of traffic directions 840 7 
			  Speed limit offences 8,150 42 
			  Unauthorised taking or theft of motor vehicle 2,413 408 
			  Vehicle insurance offences 24,056 166 
			  Vehicle or part in dangerous or defective condition 121 — 
			  Vehicle registration and excise licence offences 4 — 
			  Vehicle test offences 7 — 
			  Total persons 135,940 5,754 
			     
			 2008 Accident offences 567 24 
			  Careless driving 1,697 156 
			  Causing death or bodily harm 276 269 
			  Dangerous driving 3,358 3,353 
			  Driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs 71,132 452 
			  Driving licence related offences 10,428 232 
			  Fraud, forgery etc. associated with vehicle or driver records 10 — 
			  Load offences 11 — 
			  Miscellaneous motoring offences 477 18 
			  Motorway offences (other than speeding) 12 — 
			  Neglect of pedestrian rights 22 — 
			  Neglect of traffic directions 326 11 
			  Obstruction, waiting and parking offences 2 — 
			  Offences peculiar to motor cycles 1 — 
			  Speed limit offences 6,666 71 
			  Unauthorised taking or theft of motor vehicle 1,799 384 
			  Vehicle insurance offences 15,623 318 
			  Vehicle or part in dangerous or defective condition 98 1 
			  Vehicle registration and excise licence offences 3 — 
			  Vehicle test offences 6 2 
			  Work record and employment offences 1 — 
			  Total persons 112,515 5,291 
		
	
	
		
			 2009 Accident offences 691 29 
			  Careless driving 1,751 145 
			  Causing death or bodily harm 342 286 
			  Dangerous driving 3,117 2,945 
			  Driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs 68,881 414 
			  Driving licence related offences 9,117 207 
			  Fraud, forgery etc. associated with vehicle or driver records 11 — 
			  Load offences 2 — 
			  Miscellaneous motoring offences 174 2 
			  Motorway offences (other than speeding) 18 — 
			  Neglect of pedestrian rights 23 — 
			  Neglect of traffic directions 236 1 
			  Obstruction, waiting and parking offences 4 — 
			  Offences peculiar to motor cycles 1 — 
			  Speed limit offences 6,344 19 
			  Unauthorised taking or theft of motor vehicle 1,523 375 
			  Vehicle insurance offences 11,468 64 
			  Vehicle or part in dangerous or defective condition 109 — 
			  Vehicle test offences 2 — 
			  Total persons 103,814 4,487 
			     
			 2010 Accident offences 573 23 
			  Careless driving 1,325 105 
			  Causing death or bodily harm 398 261 
			  Dangerous driving 2,859 2,859 
			  Driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs 53,390 330 
			  Driving licence related offences 7,152 156 
			  Fraud, forgery etc. associated with vehicle or driver records 2 — 
			  Load offences 10 — 
			  Miscellaneous motoring offences 301 — 
			  Motorway offences (other than speeding) 15 1 
			  Neglect of pedestrian rights 19 — 
			  Neglect of traffic directions 267 2 
			  Obstruction, waiting and parking offences 1 — 
			  Speed limit offences 9,706 30 
			  Unauthorised taking or theft of motor vehicle 1,055 229 
			  Vehicle insurance offences 7,882 49 
			  Vehicle or part in dangerous or defective condition 99 — 
			  Vehicle test offences 1 — 
			  Work record and employment offences 2 — 
			  Total persons 85,057 4,045 
			     
			 2011 Accident offences 536 16 
			  Careless driving 1,153 76 
			  Causing death or bodily harm 352 218 
			  Dangerous driving 2,553 2,553 
			  Driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs 50,546 312 
			  Driving licence related offences 6,070 128 
			  Fraud, forgery etc. associated with vehicle or driver records 6 — 
			  Load offences 10 — 
			  Miscellaneous motoring offences 225 — 
			  Motorway offences (other than speeding) 4 — 
		
	
	
		
			  Neglect of pedestrian rights 15 — 
			  Neglect of traffic directions 182 3 
			  Obstruction, waiting and parking offences 3 — 
			  Speed limit offences 8,859 24 
			  Unauthorised taking or theft of motor vehicle 1,080 242 
			  Vehicle insurance offences 6,736 29 
			  Vehicle or part in dangerous or defective condition 95 1 
			  Vehicle registration and excise licence offences 1 — 
			  Vehicle test offences 4 — 
			  Work record and employment offences 2 — 
			  Total persons 78,432 3,602 
			 (1) Excludes persons disqualified by magistrates courts under section 35 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 (penalty point system). (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Included in “Total disqualifications imposed”. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

Offenders: Housing

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of people placed into housing by the Probation Service were placed in housing in each of the principal seaside towns in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of people placed into housing by the Prison Service were placed in each of the principal seaside towns in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice does not collect information centrally about where offenders from each of the probation trusts and prisons in England and Wales are housed on release from custody or under the terms of community orders. This information could be obtained only by searching the records of each probation trust and prison and is likely to exceed cost limits.
	If an offender is subject to a post-custodial licence or has a residence requirement as part of a community order, probation trusts have the power to assess an address as not suitable if there is evidence that the offender returning or moving to the address would increase the risk which he poses or would undermine the objectives of his supervision. An offender on licence who moved without the consent of his offender manager would be in breach of his licence and can be returned to custody; an offender subject to a residence requirement as part of a community order may be returned to court for breaching that requirement.
	Approved premises are used to supervise certain high risk of harm offenders on release from custody, as they provide enhanced supervision by means of rules of residence and curfews. There are 100 approved premises in England and Wales.

Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many foreign nationals were held in each prison in England and Wales on 30 September 2012;
	(2)  how many foreign nationals were held in prisons in England and Wales in May 2010.

Jeremy Wright: The following table includes the number of foreign national prisoners held in each prison in England and Wales, as at 30 September 2012. These figures are published quarterly in table 1.5 of the “Offender Management Statistics Quarterly Bulletin” available at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/prisons-and-probation/oms-quarterly.htm
	As at 31 May 2010, there were 11,153 foreign national prisoners held in prison establishments in England and Wales.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	
		
			 Table 1.5: Population in prison by sex, establishment and nationality status, 30 September 2012, England and Wales 
			 Establishment British nationals Foreign nationals Nationality not recorded Total population 
			 Males     
			 Altcourse 1,114 35 26 1,175 
			 Ashfield 173 31 2 206 
			 Aylesbury 346 67 1 414 
			 Bedford 364 88 24 476 
			 Belmarsh 598 192 40 830 
			 Birmingham 1,193 217 28 1,438 
			 Blantyre House 120 2 0 122 
			 Blundeston 449 43 3 495 
			 Brinsford 395 47 82 524 
			 Bristol 533 72 4 609 
			 Brixton 565 93 6 664 
			 Buckley Hall 416 6 1 423 
			 Bullingdon 917 139 9 1,065 
			 Bullwood Hall 2 220 0 222 
			 Bure 452 63 0 515 
			 Canterbury 6 280 3 289 
			 Cardiff 732 41 15 788 
			 Channings Wood 678 36 4 718 
		
	
	
		
			 Chelmsford 544 92 10 646 
			 Coldingley 465 34 11 510 
			 Cookham Wood 79 16 25 120 
			 Dartmoor 617 25 1 643 
			 Deerbolt 370 9 1 380 
			 Doncaster 1,026 107 2 1,135 
			 Dorchester 220 22 4 246 
			 Dovegate 905 64 131 1,100 
			 Durham 702 35 132 869 
			 Elmley (Sheppey cluster) 948 157 14 1,119 
			 Erlestoke 478 12 1 491 
			 Everthorpe 645 17 6 668 
			 Exeter 481 20 1 502 
			 Featherstone 637 45 3 685 
			 Feltham 500 142 10 652 
			 Ford 483 18 11 512 
			 Forest Bank 1,236 69 37 1,342 
			 Frankland 738 59 7 804 
			 Full Sutton 536 66 1 603 
			 Garth 775 61 0 836 
			 Gartree 574 114 13 701 
			 Glen Parva 567 66 0 633 
			 Gloucester 261 24 2 287 
			 Grendon/Spring Hill 521 19 1 541 
			 Guys Marsh 449 56 3 508 
			 Haverigg 608 33 2 643 
			 Hewell(1) 1,029 163 6 1,198 
			 High Down 801 179 71 1,051 
			 Highpoint (North and South) 1,070 167 20 1,257 
			 Hindley 229 6 0 235 
			 Hollesley Bay 369 8 0 377 
			 Holme House 989 56 29 1,074 
			 Hull 814 47 7 868 
			 Huntercombe 43 381 0 424 
			 Isis(2) 472 90 12 574 
			 Isle of Wight(3) 1,393 191 7 1,591 
			 Kennet 337 3 0 340 
			 Kingston 181 23 0 204 
			 Kirkham 613 7 0 620 
			 Kirklevington Grange 266 0 14 280 
			 Lancaster Farms 489 22 1 512 
			 Leeds 964 104 2 1,070 
			 Leicester 258 65 11 334 
			 Lewes 509 74 17 600 
			 Leyhill 492 27 0 519 
			 Lincoln 592 75 11 678 
			 Lindholme 795 62 8 865 
			 Littlehey 936 188 8 1,132 
			 Liverpool 1,130 63 9 1,202 
			 Long Lartin 519 89 6 614 
			 Lowdham Grange 795 117 1 913 
			 Maidstone 412 170 10 592 
			 Manchester 986 115 24 1,125 
			 Moorland / Hatfield 1,036 180 6 1,222 
			 Mount 660 91 1 752 
			 North Sea Camp 404 8 0 412 
			 Northallerton 232 3 0 235 
			 Northumberland(4) 1,055 6 88 1,149 
			 Norwich 605 113 1 719 
			 Nottingham 947 110 5 1,062 
			 Onley 605 20 2 627 
		
	
	
		
			 Oakwood 841 72 1 914 
			 Parc 1,363 65 18 1,446 
			 Pentonville 824 356 37 1,217 
			 Peterborough(5) 447 98 6 551 
			 Portland 487 32 1 520 
			 Preston 663 23 18 704 
			 Ranby 911 124 21 1,056 
			 Reading 191 20 4 215 
			 Risley 871 188 2 1,061 
			 Rochester 577 60 11 648 
			 Rye Hill 513 101 1 615 
			 Shepton Mallet 172 17 0 189 
			 Shrewsbury 314 16 1 331 
			 Stafford 692 38 2 732 
			 Standford Hill (Sheppey cluster) 423 32 6 461 
			 Stocken 817 7 11 835 
			 Stoke Heath 612 26 4 642 
			 Sudbury 540 21 12 573 
			 Swaleside (Sheppey cluster) 868 213 11 1,092 
			 Swansea 332 32 55 419 
			 Swinfen Hall 584 46 4 634 
			 Thameside 472 169 194 835 
			 Thorn Cross 286 5 0 291 
			 Usk/Prescoed 432 18 9 459 
			 Verne 361 231 5 597 
			 Wakefield 661 64 14 739 
			 Wandsworth 608 496 89 1,193 
			 Warren Hill 106 21 1 128 
			 Wayland 986 16 4 1,006 
			 Wealstun 798 9 2 809 
			 Wellingborough 158 16 1 175 
			 Werrington 105 13 15 133 
			 Wetherby 263 15 2 280 
			 Whatton 799 34 5 838 
			 Whitemoor 337 109 2 448 
			 Winchester 575 58 27 660 
			 Wolds 335 13 0 348 
			 Woodhill 631 105 9 745 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 703 412 110 1,225 
			 Wymott 1,097 64 0 1,161 
			 Total male (excluding NOMS IRCs) 70,200 9,532 1,769 81,501 
			      
			 Females     
			 Askham Grange 114 4 0 118 
			 Bronzefield 378 121 2 501 
			 Downview 233 90 5 328 
			 Drake Hall 248 50 3 301 
			 East Sutton Park 94 1 0 95 
			 Eastwood Park 282 25 0 307 
			 Foston Hall 265 25 2 292 
			 Holloway 343 151 28 522 
			 Low Newton 244 9 0 253 
			 New Hall 337 27 5 369 
			 Peterborough(5) 275 48 10 333 
			 Send 247 30 0 277 
			 Styal 391 35 1 427 
			 Total female (excluding NOMS IRCs) 3,451 616 56 4,123 
		
	
	
		
			 NOMS Operated Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs)     
			 Dover IRC 0 295 7 302 
			 Haslar IRC 0 136 13 149 
			 Morton Hall IRC(6) 0 372 10 382 
			 Total IRCs 0 803 30 833 
			      
			 All establishments 73,651 10,951 1,855 86,457 
			 (1) HMP Hewell was created by an amalgamation of the three former prisons, Blakenhurst, Brockhill and Hewell Grange, on 25 June 2008; as of the 30 September 2011 the Brockhill site closed. (2) HMP & YOI Isis, which opened on 28 July 2010, is sited within the perimeter wall of HMP Belmarsh. (3) HMP Isle of Wight was created by an amalgamation of the three former prisons, Albany, Camp Hill and Parkhurst on 1 April 2009. (4) HMP Northumberland is the new name for Acklington and Castington. (5) Peterborough is a dual purpose prison for men and women. (6) On 13 January 2011 the Secretary of State for Justice announced that HMP Morton Hall, will close (having previously been a female prison) and then re-open as an Immigration Removal Centre, holding immigration detainees on behalf of UKBA. On 16 May Morton Hall began operating as an Immigration Removal Centre.

Young Offender Institutions

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the under-18 secure estate capacity in England and Wales was in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012;
	(2)  how many people under the age of 18 were held in custody in England and Wales in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012.

Jeremy Wright: The average under-18 secure estate capacity in England and Wales in (a) 2011 was 2,637 and (b) in 2012 (January to August) was 2,497. Please note these figures are not comparable as full data for 2012 is not yet available.
	Capacity is defined as beds commissioned by the Youth Justice Board. This includes beds that may be out of use or unoccupied.
	The average number of young people under the age of 18 held in custody at any one time in England and Wales in (a) 2011 was 2,001 and (b) in 2012 (January to August) was 1,785. Please note these figures are not comparable as full data for 2012 is not yet available.
	The figures from April 2011 onwards are provisional. The figures for 2011 will be finalised in the 2011/12 Youth Justice Statistics publication on 31 January 2013. Provisional data for subsequent months is published on a monthly basis:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/youth-justice/custody-data
	These data are from the Youth Justice Board (YJB) and refer to Secure Training Centres (STCs), Secure Children's Homes (SCHs), and Under-18 Young Offender Institutions (YOIs). These figures have been drawn from operational sources and IT systems, which arc subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.

TRANSPORT

Biofuels

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to address the effect of indirect land use change resulting from biofuel production;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the European Commission's proposal to cap the use of food-based biofuels at five per cent of transport fuels.

Norman Baker: I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave the Rt Hon Member for Warley (Mr John Spellar) on 1 November 2012 [Official Report, columns 332-3W].

Bus Services: Environment Protection

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department takes to ensure that bus services are promoted as a source of green travel.

Norman Baker: Under the coalition Government, the Department for Transport has provided £45m of funding through the Green Bus Fund which helps bus operators and local authorities to purchase low carbon buses. This funding will result in 593 green, low carbon buses on the roads of England by summer 2013.
	In addition, operators of low carbon buses which run on local registered bus services are also eligible to claim the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) low carbon emission bus incentive of 6p per kilometre.
	The Department is also investing £600m through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund in order to cut carbon emissions and create local growth. Projects under the fund will help cut carbon, as well as deliver other environmental and public health benefits, by improving local access by sustainable modes, including public transport.

Driving: Eyesight

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the economic effects of crashes caused by poor driver eyesight.

Stephen Hammond: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 7 November 2012, Official Report, columns 613-14W.

Driving: Eyesight

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department collects on the number of drivers who have failed the number plate eyesight test at a driving test centre.

Stephen Hammond: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 7 November 2012, Official Report, column 614W.

Press: Subscriptions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which magazine, journal and newspaper subscriptions held by his Department have been cancelled since May 2010.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has cancelled the following subscriptions since May 2010.
	Building
	Concrete Quarterly
	Design Weekly
	Digital Arts
	Electronic Engineering Times
	Electronics Weekly
	Estates Gazette
	Fleet News (including Fleet News Europe)
	Ground Engineering
	Highways
	Highways Electrical News
	Horticulture Weekly
	Institution of Civil Engineers - Bridge Engineering
	Institution of Civil Engineers - Civil Engineering
	Institution of Civil Engineers-Structures and Building
	Institution of Civil Engineers-Transport
	Intelligent Highway
	Journal of British Photography
	Journal of Bridge Engineering
	Management Today
	Motor Trader
	New Civil Engineer
	Opportunities in the Public Sector
	Pay in Public Services
	Planning
	Police Gazette
	Structural Engineer
	Traffic Engineering and Control
	Yachts & Yachting
	Yachting World

Public Expenditure

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much (a) his Department, (b) its non-departmental public bodies and (c) its executive agencies have spent in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and what each is forecast to spend in (A) 2012-13 and (B) 2013-14.

Norman Baker: The table below shows actual expenditure for 2010-11 and 2011-12 and planned expenditure for 2012-13 and 2013-14.
	
		
			 £ million 
			   2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 
			 Exec Agencies Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency 187.1 229.4 212.3 211.5 
			  Highways Agency 3,975.0 3,656.8 3,859.0 4,112.0 
			  Maritime and Coastguard Agency 131.6 145.5 137.4 124.1 
			  Vehicle Certification Agency 1.1 -0.3 -0.2 -0.5 
			  Driving Standards Agency -7.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			  Vehicle and Operator Services Agency -27.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 Exec NDPBs British Transport Police 7.6 16.3 39.2 10.9 
			  Passenger Focus 7.5 6.4 4.7 4.9 
			  High Speed 2 Ltd 1.0 0.4 172.3 146.9 
			  Directly Operated Railways 1.4 0.8 0.0 0.0 
			  Rail Heritage Committee 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			  Arms Length Bodies Total 4,312.4 4,055.3 4,424.8 4,609.8 
			  Department for Transport 8,460.1 10,082.9 11,079.2 10,616.0 
			  Total 12,772.5 14,138.2 15,503.9 15,225:8

Railways: Freight

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what the cost to the public purse will be of Network Rail taking over the leasehold for rail freight facilities from DB Schenker;
	(2)  what the cost to the public purse will be of Network Rail buying rail freight facilities from DB Schenker.

Simon Burns: This is a matter for Network Rail as it will depend on the way in which Network Rail decides to fund the acquisition and the use subsequently made of the property.

Railways: Freight

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which freight facilities will be obtained by Network Rail from DB Schenker; and what estimate he has made of the monetary value of those facilities.

Simon Burns: A full list of the sites under discussion is available on the Network Rail website at:
	http://www.networkrail.co.uk/Freight/Aquisition-of-DBS-freight-sites-consultation/
	The Department has made no estimate of their monetary value; this is a matter for commercial negotiation between Network Rail and DB Schenker.

Railways: Freight

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the estimated value was of rail freight facilities (a) leased and (b) sold to the private sector at the time of railway privatisation.

Simon Burns: The Department does not have this information available.

Railways: Freight

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether he proposes that all the freight facilities obtained by Network Rail from DB Schenker will be used to support the development of rail freight;
	(2)  whether he proposes that the freight facilities obtained by Network Rail from DB Schenker will be used to support other railway activities in future;
	(3)  whether freight facilities obtained by Network Rail from DB Shenker will be used to support non-railway activities.

Simon Burns: This is a matter for Network Rail. Network Rail's consultation document states that its key objectives in acquiring sites currently held by DB Schenker include growing freight network capacity, facilitating non-discriminatory access to sites and expanding the portfolio of sites with freight potential available to all freight operating companies.
	To the extent that any of the sites acquired may be subject to future disposal, Network Rail recognises that condition 7 of its network licence imposes land disposal obligations and Network Rail is committed to compliance with these.

Railways: Freight

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on the Government's rail freight strategy of the decision of DB Schenker to sell its rail freight facilities and leaseholds to Network Rail;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made on the possible effect on the Government's rail freight strategy of the decision on whether freight facilities obtained by Network Rail from DB Shenker will be used to support non-railway activities.

Simon Burns: None. Network Rail's consultation document states that its key objectives in acquiring sites currently held by DB Schenker include growing freight network capacity, facilitating non-discriminatory access to sites and expanding the portfolio of sites with freight potential available to all freight operating companies.
	Network Rail's consultation document notes that the list of sites in question includes over one hundred vacant sites and a number of other sites capable of wider use which Network Rail considers to represent a significant potential opportunity to improve operational utilisation of the portfolio.

Railways: Freight

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with Network Rail and DB Schenker on Network Rail obtaining rail freight facilities from DB Schenker;
	(2)  whether he has discussed with Network Rail a timetable for Network Rail to obtain rail freight facilities from DB Schenker;
	(3)  what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials had with Network Rail on ensuring that freight facilities obtained by Network Rail from DB Shenker will be used to support rail freight; and what the outcome of such discussions was.

Simon Burns: Neither I, the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), or my officials have held discussions with Network Rail or DB Schenker about these matters, which are a commercial issue between Network Rail and DB Schenker, although officials are kept informed as a matter of routine.

Sickness Absence

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for how many and what proportion of days, on average, staff of his Department at each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in each of the last five years.

Norman Baker: The number of days of absence and the average working days lost (AWDL), by pay grade, for the Central Department and its six Executive Agencies, for each of the last four financial years, is shown in the following table. The Department does not hold data for sickness absence in this format prior to April 2008 and it would cost a disproportionate amount to provide it.
	
		
			  April 2008 to March 2009 April 2009 to March 2010 April 2010 to March 2011 April 2011 to March 2012 
			  Days lost AWDL Days lost AWDL Days lost AWDL Days lost AWDL 
			 AA 24,941.79 11.4 20,090.10 10.1 15,998.20 8.6 13,807.85 8.5 
			 AO 52,269.91 8.9 49,252.70 8.6 45,871.40 8.2 46,362.52 8.7 
			 EO 59,230.82 9.2 61,757.70 9.7 54,946.60 9.1 52,925.56 9.2 
			 HEO 12,403.52 6.1 12,714.10 6.2 11,210.50 5.5 10,711.22 5.5 
			 SEO 6,234.04 4 6,903.00 4.2 7,412.40 4.5 7,804.04 5.1 
			 G7 2,919.86 4 3,141.10 3.9 3,540.80 5.1 3,365.56 5.0 
			 G6 895.43 3.7 1,363.50 3.9 866.10 4.2 735.07 3.7 
			 SCS 272.45 2.2 577.00 5.3 100.00 1.5 205.50 2.3 
			 Total 159,167.82 8.3 155,799.10 8.2 139,945.90 7.7 135,917.33 7.9

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many written parliamentary questions to his Department received a substantive answer (a) within five working days, (b) between six and 10 working days and (c) after more than 10 working days in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Norman Baker: Of the 1,922 ordinary written questions tabled between 1 October 2011 and 30 September 2012 and answered by the Department for Transport, 1,234 (64.2%) were answered in five working days or fewer.
	The number of questions answered between six and ten working days was 476 (24.8%), and those answered in more than ten working days were 212 (11.0%). However, the House allows Departments to answer questions during long recesses although they are not printed in
	Hansard
	until the House returns. Therefore some questions, although actually answered in less than ten days, will appear to have taken much longer.
	The Government has committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written Parliamentary Question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the current session. Statistics relating to performance for the 2010-12 Parliamentary session are available on the Parliament website as follows:
	http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/procedure/P35_Memorandum_Leader_of_the_House_ Monitoring_PQs.pdf

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what proportion of written parliamentary questions to his Department received holding responses in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Norman Baker: Of the 801 Named Day questions tabled between 1 October 2011 and 30 September 2012 answered by the Department for Transport, 252 (29.6%) received a holding reply.
	The Government has committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written Parliamentary Question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the current session. Statistics relating to performance for the 2010-12 Parliamentary session are available on the Parliament website as follows:
	http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/procedure/P35_Memorandum_Leader_of_the_House_ Monitoring_PQs.pdf